UC-NRLF 

A.FREDERICK  COJLLIMS 


ilnlvers'rij''     "^^^rm     Inco-^c 


'TUZ35 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcinive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


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FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 


FARM  AND  GARDEN 

TRACTORS 

HOW  TO  BUY,  RUN,  REPAIR 
AND   TAKE  CARE   OF   THEM 

BY 

A.  FREDERICK  COLLINS 

Member 

Thb  Royal  Akro  Club  of  the  United  Kingdom 

Author  »f 

"K**pine  Up  with  Your  Motor  Car,''  "Gas,  Gasolene  and  Oil 

Enginit,'"'  "How  to  Fly,''  "Motor  Car  Startine, 

Liehtins  and  lenition,"  ttc. 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS 
AND  DIAGRAMS 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  IQ20,  by 
Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 


All  Rights  Reserved 


TO 
LLOYD  VAN  GORDER 

WITH   THE   APPRECIATION    OF 
THE   AUTHOR 


445203 


A  WORD  TO  YOU 

The  problem  of  farming  to-day  is  how  to  raise  big- 
ger crops  per  acre  and  at  the  same  time  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  men  and  lower  the  cost  of  production. 

The  answer  to  the  problem  is  to  use  ( i )  the  proper 
fertilization  methods,  and  (2)  the  right  kind  of  farm 
machinery.  Of  the  latter  the  tractor  is  by  all  odds  the 
most  important  factor  in  securing  the  desired  results. 

It  is  not  enough  however  to  simply  buy  a  tractor 
and  put  it  to  work  in  the  field.  The  size  of  your  farm 
as  well  as  your  bank  account  will  determine  very  largely 
the  size  of  the  tractor  you  want.  And  having  deter- 
mined the  size  you  must  be  exceedingly  careful  of  the 
kind  of  a  tractor  you  buy  and  having  bought  it  of  the 
way  it  is  used  and  looked  after. 

While  the  day  of  the  gas  pipe  and  cast  iron  tractor 
is  past  still  the  design  and  construction  of  tractors  is 
not  at  all  fixed,  or  standardised  as  it  is  called,  and  to 
make  a  tractor  of  any  size  pay  on  a  farm  of  any  kind 
it  must  be  designed  right  and  then  built  right.  When 
you  have  bought  such  a  tractor  the  next  thing  to  do  is 
to  get  tillage  and  cultivating  implements  and  harvesting 
machinery  that  are  made  especially  for  tractor  work. 
Then  a  most  important  feature  in  the  economical  use 
of  the  tractor  is  to  know  how  to  run  it  and  how  to  take 


A  WORD  TO  YOU 

care  of  it  as  well  as  the  implements  and  machinery 
that  are  used  with  it. 

It  may  seem  as  though  it  is  asking  too  much  of  the 
farmer  to  invest  in  a  complete  tractor  outfit  and  to 
learn  all  about  it  but  to  make  a  success  of  farming  in 
these  days  the  right  kind  of  an  equipment  is  vitally 
necessary  and  the  management  of  the  farm  must  be 
along  approved  scientific  lines. 

How  to  buy  as  well  as  how  to  use  and  take  care  of  a 
tractor  is  told  in  this  book  and  by  following  the  pre- 
cepts which  I  have  laid  down  you  will  have  small 
trouble  in  doubling,  nearly,  the  output  of  your  crop 
per  acre,  everything  else  being  equal. 

A.  Frederick  Collins. 
The  Antlers, 
Congers,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    About  Tractors  in  General i 

What  a  Tractor  is  —  Types  of  Tractors  —  How- 
Tractors  are  Rated  —  Horse-Power  Defined  — 
The  Belt  Horse-Power  of  a  Tractor  —  The 
Draw-Bar  Horse-Power  of  a  Tractor  —  The 
Speed  of  Tractors  —  The  Weight  of  Tractors 
—  The  Plowing  Capacity  of  Tractors  —  The 
Normal  Draw-Bar  Pull  in  Pounds  —  The 
Length,  Width  and  Height  of  Tractors  —  The 
Height  of  the  Draw-Bar  —  The  Clearance  of 
Tractors  —  The  Sizes  of  Traction  Members  — 
The  Wheelbase  of  Tractors  —  The  Face, 
Length  and  Area  of  Crawlers  —  Percentage  of 
Weight  on  Driving  Members  —  Range  of  Speed 
and  Gear  Ratios  —  The  Turning  Radius  of  a 
Tractor  —  The  Prices  of  Tractors  —  In  Con- 
clusion. 

II    The  Parts  of  a  Tractor i6 

The  Chief  Parts  of  a  Tractor  — The  Frame 
Comes  First  —  What  a  Three  Point  Suspension 
Means  —  The  Draw-Bar  —  About  the  Axles  of 
Tractors  —  The  Suspension  Springs  of  a  Trac- 
tor—  the  Traction  Members  of  Tractors  — 
Drum  Traction  Members — Crawler  Traction 
Members  —  The  Power  Plant  of  a  Tractor  — 
Kinds  of  Bearings  Used  — The  Gears  Used  in 
Tractors. 

Ill    The  MEtHANisM  of  a  Tractor.    Part  i  —  How 

the  Engine  is  Made  and  Works  ....     37 
The  Parts  of  a  Tractor  Engine  —  How  a  Single 
Cylinder  Engine  Works  —  How  the  Multi-Cyl- 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

inder  Engines  Work  —  The  Manifold  and 
What  it  is  For  —  How  the  Muffler  is  Made  — 
Kinds  of  Oil  Pumps  —  How  the  Engine  is 
Cooled  —  Kinds  of  Liquid  Cooling  Schemes  — 
How  the  Engine  is  Fed  with  Fuel  —  What  the 
Carburetor  is  For  —  Vaporizing  the  Fuel  Mix- 
ture—  Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners  —  The  Electric 
Ignition  System  —  What  the  Battery  System  Is 

—  How  the  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Sys- 
tem Works  —  What  the  Magneto  System  Is  — 
The  Low  Tension  Inductor  Magneto  —  How 
the  Inductor  Magneto  System  Works  —  The 
Low  Tension  Armature  Magneto  —  How  the 
Low  Tension  Armature  Magneto  System 
Works  —  The  High  Tension  Magneto  —  How 
the  High  Tension  Magneto  System  Works  — 
The  Use  of  the  Impulse  Starter  —  The  Use  of 
the  Tractor  Engine  Starter  —  The  Gas  and  Air 
Starter  —  The  Use  of  the  Governor  —  The 
Floating  Governor  —  The  Electric  Governor  — 
The  Power  Take  Off  —  The  Tractor  Engine 
Complete  —  Finally  About  Tractor  Lighting. 

The  Mechanism  of  a  Tractor.     Part  ii  — How 

the  Transmission  System  is  Made  and  Works    98 
What  the  Transmission  Clutch  is  For  —  Vari- 
ous  Kinds   of    Clutches  —  How    Clutches    are 
Made  and  Work  —  The  Transmission  —  What 
the  Differential  is  For  —  Kinds  of  Differentials 

—  What  a  Locking  Differential  Is  —  What  the 
Final  Drive  Is  —  Kinds  of  Final  Drives  —  How 
Final  Drives  are  Made  and  Work. 

The    Mechanism    of   a    Tractor.     Part    hi  — 
How  the  Steering  Gear  and  Brakes  are  Made 

and  Work 122 

About  the  Steering  Gear  —  How  Wheeled 
Tractors  are   Steered  —  Kinds  of   Front  Axle 


CONTENTS  xi 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Assemblies  —  What  the  Steering  Gear  Consists 
Of  —  How  the  Steering  Gear  Control  Works  — 
Line  Steering  Gear  Control  —  The  Automatic 
Guide  Wheel  Steering  Control  —  How  Crawler 
Tractors  are  Steered  —  About  the  Brakes. 


IV     Garden  and  Truck  Farm  Tractors  ....   139 
What  the  Garden  Tractor  Is  —  Makes  of  Gar- 
den Tractors  —  The  Merry  Garden  Auto  Cul- 
tivator —  The  Beeman  Garden  Tractor  —  The. 
Universal   1-4.9   Tractor  —  The  Auto-Tiller. 

V    Tractors  for  Small  Farms 153 

The  Indiana  5-10  Tractor  —  The  General  Pur- 
pose 6-12  Tractor  —  The  E.  F.  T.  6-12  Crawler 
Tractor  — The  Cultitractor  2F-15  — The  Little 
Bear  4-8  Tractor. 

VI    Tractors  for  Average  Farms 164 

Ttvo  Plow  Tractors:  The  Bean  Track-Pull, 
6-10  Tractor  — The  Cletrac,  12-20  Tractor  — 
The  Fordson,  12-22  Tractor.  Three  Plow 
Tractors:  The  Austin,  15-30  Tractor  —  The 
Andrews,  12-25  Tractor  —  The  E.  B.,  12-20; 
Model  A  A  Tractor.  Other  Two  and  Three 
Plow  Tractors. 

VII    Tractors  for  Big  Farms 182 

The  Oil-Pull  Tractors  — The  Aultman-Taylor 
Tractors  — The  Avery  Tractors  — The  Bates 
Steel  Mule  — The  Tracklayer  Tractors  — The 
Case  Tractors  — The  E.  B.  Tractors  — The 
Caterpillar  Tractors  —  The  International  15-30 
Tractor  — The  Twin  City  Tractors  — The 
Yuba  Ball  Tread  Tractors  —  Othei  Big  Farm 
Tractors. 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

VIII  Draw-Bar  and  Belt  Power  Applications  .  .  205 
Some  Draw-Bar  Applications:  Hitches  for 
Plows  and  Harrows —  Hitches  for  Listers,  Cul- 
tivators, and  Wagons  —  Hitches  for  Mow- 
ers and  Harvesting  Machines  —  Commercial 
Hitches  —  Home  Made  Hitches  —  About 
Draw-Bar  Loadings  —  Plows  Recommended 
for  Normal  Draw-Bar  Horse-Power  —  How  to 
Figure  the  Draw-Bar  Pull  of  a  Tractor.  Some 
Belt  Power  Applications:     The  Grain  Thresher 

—  The  Corn  Husker  and  Shredder  —  The  Hay 
Bailing  Press  —  The  Ensilage  Cutter  and  the 
Silo  —  The  Corn  Sheller  —  The  Feed  Grinder 
Tractor  Pulleys  and  Belts:  The  Speed  of  Ma- 
chines—  How  to  Find  the  Speed  of  a  Pulley 
or  Belt  —  How  to  Find  the  Size  of  a  Pulley  — 
How  to  Find  the  Belt  Speed. 

IX    How  to  Take  Care  of  Your  Tractor     .     .     .  218 
Running  the  Tractor  Yourself  —  About  Hiring 
a  Tractioneer  —  Taking  Care  of  Your  Tractor 

—  Keeping  the  Tractor  Oiled  —  Keeping  the 
Engine  Cool  —  Caring  for  the  Fuel  System  — 
Caring  for  the  Ignition  System  —  Keeping 
Your  Tractor  Clean.  Summary  of  How  to 
Care  for  Your  Tractor:  Daily  Care  and  Up- 
keep—  Weekly  Care  and  Upkeep  —  Care  at  the 
End  of  the  Season  —  The  Price  of  Tractor 
Economy. 

X    Tractor  Troubles  and  How  to  Fix  Them  .      .  232 
The  Symptoms  of  Trouble  —  When  the  Engine 
Knocks  —  When      the      Engine      Overheats  — 
When  the  Engine  Loses  Power  —  Fixing  a  Few 
Other  Troubles. 

XI    Tractor  Repairs  and  How  to  Make  Them  .     .  248 
How   to   Prevent   Breakage  —  How   to   Repair 
Broken    Parts  —  On    Making    Emergency    Re- 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

pairs  —  Replacing  Broken  Parts  —  Repairing 
Large  Broken  Parts  —  On  the  Removal  of 
Parts  — To  Take  Off  a  Drive  Wheel  — To 
Take  Off  and  Put  On  Cylinders  —  Regrinding 
Old  Cylinders  and  Sleeves. 

XII    The  Kind  of  Tractor  You  Want     ....  256 
The  Field  to  Choose  From  —  Kinds  of  Tractors 

—  What  to  Pay  for  a  Tractor  —  Getting  a 
Tractor  of  the  Right  Size  —  Five  Prime  Fac- 
tors—  The  Wheel  vs.  the  Crawler  —  The  Dif- 
ferences in  Engines  —  The  Power  Take-Off  — 

—  Accept  the  Transmission  System  —  The 
Steering  Gear  and  Brakes  —  The  Firms  Back 
of  the  Tractors  —  How  to  Find  the  Horse- 
Power  of  a  Tractor  Engine  —  How  to  Find  the 
Belt  Horse-Power  of  a  Tractor  Engine  —  The 
Draw-Bar  Pull  of  a  Tractor  at  Various  Rates 
of  Speed. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

The  Wheel  Base  of  a  Tractor 9 

The  Turning  Radius  of  a  Tractor 13 

Two   Kinds   of   Tractor   Frames 18 

Kinds  of  Three   Point  Suspensions 19-  20 

The  Draw  Bar  on  a  Twin  City  Tractor  Frame 22 

Kinds  of  Drive   Wheels 25 

Drive    Wheel    Grips 26 

Effect  of   Drive   Wheel   Grips 27 

Crawler    Shoes   and    Crawlers 28 

Kinds  of  Bearings 30 

Top  View  of  a  Twin  City  40-6$  Tractor 32 

Thrce-Quarter  View  of  a  Twin  City  6o-<)0  Tractor  ....     33 

Top  View  of  a  5-Ton  Holt  Caterpillar  Tractor 34 

Three-Quartcr  View  of  a  lo-Ton  Caterpillar  Tractor  •  •  •  35 
The  Parts  of  a  One-Cylinder  T-Head  Engine  ....  39-  40 
Cross  Section  of  a  Single  Cylinder  T-llcad  Engine  ...  41 
Diagram  of  the  Four  Strokes  of  a  Single  Cylinder  Engine  .  43 
Diagram  of  a  Four-Cylinder  Engine  Showing  How  Pistons 

Are  Connected  to  a  Single  Crankshaft 45 

The  Manifold  of  a  Four-Cylinder  Engine 46 

Kinds  of  Lubricating  Systems 48-  50 

Kinds  of  Oil  Pumps 51-  52 

Kinds  of  Cooling  Systems 53 

Kinds  of  Radiators 54 

Kinds  of  Liquid  Cooling  Systems 55-  56 

Kinds  of  Engine  Pumps 57 

The   Radiator  Cooling  Fan 58 

Fuel  Feed  Systems '.  59-  61 

The  Principles  of  the  Carburetor 63-  66 

Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners  (How  the  Dry  Air  Cleaner  Is  Made 

and    Works) 67 

Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners  (The  Bennett  Dry  Air  Cleaner  Com- 
plete)         68 

Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners  (How  the  Water  Air  Cleaner  Is  Made 

and  Works)        69 

The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System  .  .  .70-74 
Wiring  Diagram  of  the  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  System  .     75 

The  Parts  of  the  Rcmy  Inductor 77-  79 

How   the   Remy   Inductor   Works 79 

Wiring  Diagram  of  a  Remy  Inductor  Magneto  Ignition  Sys- 
tem       80 

xiv 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xv 

PAGE 

Parts  of  the  Low  Tension  Magneto   . 8i 

Low  Tension  Complete  Magneto 8j 

Wiring  Diagram  of  a  Low  Tension  Magneto  Ignition  System    83 

The  High  Tension   Magneto   System 84-  85 

Wiring  Diagram  of  a  High  Tension  Magneto  Ignition  System    85 

The  Eisemann  Impulse  Starter 86 

Eisemann  Impulse  Starter  on  a  Tractor  Engine  Magneto     ,     87 

The  Electric  Motor   Starter   System 88-89 

The    Christensen    Gas    Starter 90 

Kinds    of    Engine    Governors     .     .     .  • 92-  93 

Kinds    of    Governors 94 

The  Power  Take-Off 95 

Enclosed  Four-Cylinder  Valve-in-the-Head  40-Horse  Power 

Stearns  Engine 96 

Diagram  of  the   Transmission   System 98 

How  a  Single  Disk  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works  .  .  .  loo-ioi 
How  a  Multiple  Disk  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works  .     .     .     .102 

How  the  Cone  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works 103 

How  the  Expanding  Band  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works  104-105 
How  a  Contracting  Band  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works  .  .  105 
How  the  Friction  Drive  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works  .  .  .  106 
How  the  Sliding  Gear  Transmission  Is  Made  and  Works  .   109 

The  Sliding  Gear  Transmission no 

How     the     Planetary     Gear     Transmission     Is     Made    and 

Works 111-112 

How  the   Differential   Gears   Work 114 

How  the  Differential  Is  Made  and  Works 115 

A  Locking   Differential 116 

How  the  Chain  Drive  Works 117 

How  the  External  Bull  Gear  Drive  Is  Made  and  Works  118-119 
How  the  Internal  Bull  Gear  Drive  Is  Made  and  Works      120-121 

How  the  Worm  Drive  Is  Made  and  Works 121 

Kinds  of  Front  Wheel  Assemblies 123 

The  Steering  Gear  Mechanism  for  a  Single  Front  Wheel  .     .   126 

Double  Wheel   Swivelled  Axle   Control 127 

Kinds  of  Steering  Gears 128-129 

The  Worm  Steering  Gear  Coupled  to  the  Knuckle  Assembly  129 

The  Automotive  Line  Steering  Control 131 

Kinds  of  Self-Guides 132-134 

How  a  Crawler  Tractor  Steering  Gear  Is  Made  and  Works  135 
Clutch  Steering  Gear  of  a  Holt-Caterpillar  40-60  .     .     .     .135 

The  Transmission  Brake 136 

The  Emergency  Brake I37 

The  Merry  Garden  Tractor  Dissected 141 

Cultivating  Beets  With  the  Merry  Garden  Tractor   .     .     .142 

The  Beeman  Garden  Tractor I44 

Some  Tools  Used  with  Garden  Tractors 146-147 

The  Universal  Garden  Tractor I49 


xvi  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The  Auto-Tiller  Garden  Tractor 151 

The  Indiana  5-10  Tractor 154 

The  General   Purpose  Tractor 157 

The  E.  F.  T.  6-12  Crawler  Tractor IS9 

The  Cultitractor  7-15 161 

The  Little  Bear  4-8  Tractor 163 

Bean  Track  Pull  6-10  Tractor 165 

The  Cletrac   12-20  Tractor 168 

The  Fordson  12-22  Tractor 169 

The  Austin  15-30  Tractor 171 

Top  View  of  the  Andrews  12-25  Drum  Tractor   (Showing 

Friction  Drive) 174 

The  E.  B.  12-20  Tractor 176 

The  Oil-Pull  Tractor 183 

The   Aultman-Taylor    Tractor 186 

The   Avery   Tractor 188 

The  Bates  Steel  Mule 189 

The  Tracklayer  Tractor 190 

The  Case  Tractor 193 

The  E.  B.  40-65  Tractor I95 

The  International   15-30  Tractor 198 

The  Yuba  Ball  Tread  20-35  Tractor 201 

Hitch  for  One  Plow  and  Harrow 207 

A  Transmission   Lubricating  System 222 

Lubricating  System  of  a  Fordson  Tractor 223 

Removing  the  Carbon  from  a  Cylinder 235 

Removing   Piston    Rings 236 

Graphic    Representation    Showing   the   Extra    Horse    Power 

Needed   on   Grades      . 238 

Diagram  for  Timing  Valves 241 

Magneto   Timing  Diagram   Showing  How  the  Magneto   Is 

Timed 243 

Grinding  Valves 245 


FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

CHAPTER  I 
ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL 

The  development  of  the  internal  combustion  engine,"^ 
as  that  type  of  engine  is  called  in  which  the  fuel  is 
fired  directly  in  the  cylinders,  has  given  rise  to  many 
remarkable  and  highly  useful  vehicles  such  as  the  motor 
car,  the  motor  truck,  the  motor  boat,  the  airplane,  and, 
finally,  the  tractor. 

What  a  Tractor  Is. —  The  v^ord  traction,  as  you 
probably  know,  means  the  act  of  drawing  or  pulling 
along  and,  hence,  the  word  tractor  has  come  to  mean 
a  self-propelled  vehicle  that  is  used  primarily  to  pull 
a  plow,  a  harrow,  a  cultivator  or  other  farm  machinery 
necessary  in  tilling  the  soil. 

Since,  however,  the  internal  combustion  engine  is 
employed  as  the  motive  power  for  driving  a  tractor, 
it  naturally  finds  a  wide  application  as  a  power  plant 
for  all  kinds  of  belt  work,  such  as  grinding  feed,  driv- 
ing a  threshiiig  machine,  operating  a  corn  sheller,  an 
ensilage  cutter,  a  hay  press,  etc. 

1  All  gas,  gasoline  and  oil  engines  are  internal  combustion  en- 
gines. 

I 


a  : .  .FARM  AND.  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

Types  of  Tractors. —  Generically  there  are  only  two 
types  of  tractors  and  these  are  (i)  the  steam  engine 
tractor,  that  is  a  tractor  driven  by  a  steam  boiler  and 
engine,  and  (2)  the  internal  combustion  engine  tractor, 
or  tractor  which  is  driven  by  a  gasoline  or  an  oil  engine. 

Since  the  latter  type  of  tractor  is  a  more  recent  de- 
velopment and  is  at  once  safe,  efficient  and  flexible 
it  has  all  but  supplanted  the  former  type,  consequently 
it  is  the  only  type  of  tractor  that  I  shall  tell  you  about 
in  this  book. 

Of  internal  combustion  engine  tractors  there  are  two 
classes  and  these  are  (A)  garden  tractors,  and  (B) 
farm  tractors.  The  only  difference  in  these  machines 
is  simply  that  with  the  first  kind  the  operator  walks 
while  the  second  kind  is  large  and  he  rides.  Finally 
some  tractors  have  for  their  traction  members  (a) 
wheels  or  drums,  while  others  have  (b)  track  laying 
crazi'lers,  and  this  is  the  most  striking  visual  difference 
in  their  make-up. 

Specifically  there  are  more  designs  of  tractors  than 
you  can  shake  a  stick  at  for,  different  from  motor 
cars  and  motor  trucks,  the  design  of  tractors  has  not 
yet  been  standardised,  that  is  it  has  not  been  fixed  to 
conform  to  a  definite  type. 

Of  course  every  tractor  has  a  power  unit  in  it  and 
means  for  transmitting  the  power  of  the  engine  to  the 
traction  members;  but  the  location  of  the  engine,  the 
number  and  disposition  of  the  wheels  or  crawlers,  the 
final  drive  and  numerous  other  features  of  design  are 
scarcely  alike  in  any  two  makes  of  tractors. 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL       3 

How  Tractors  are  Rated. —  There  are,  however, 
a  number  of  ways  by  which  tractors  are  rated  and  this 
makes  it  easy  to  draw  a  comparison  between  those  of 
different  makes  and  sizes.  Named  these  ratings  are 
(i)  the  belt  horse-power;  (2)  the  draw-bar  horse- 
power; (3)  the  traction  speed;  (4)  the  weight  of  the 
tractor,  and  (5)  the  plowing  capacity  of  the  tractor. 

Horse-Power  Defined. —  The  power  of  an  engine 
is  measured  by  the  number  of  pounds  that  it  can  Hft 
one  foot  per  second.  The  unit  of  power  was  gotten 
up  by  James  Watt  and  is  called  the  horsepower  (written 
H.  P.)  and  this  is  the  unit  that  is  ordinarily  used  in 
engine  practice  to-day.  One  horse  power  =  550  foot- 
pounds per  second  or  33,000  pounds  per  minute.^ 

The  Belt  Horse  Power  of  a  Tractor.—  This  is  the 
power  of  the  engine  that  is  developed  at  the  pulley 
when  it  is  used  for  running  grinding  mills  and  other 
farm  machinery.^  The  belt  horse  power  rating  is 
usually  about  80  per  cent,  of  the  horse  power  that 
the  engine  is  guaranteed  to  deliver  by  its  maker.  This 
rating  is  understood  to  hold  only  when  the  engine 
is  in  good  order  and  is  running  at  its  rated  speed.^ 

The  belt  horse  power  of  a  tractor  engine  is,  of 
course,  always  larger  than  the  draw  bar  horse  power, 
in  fact  it  is  usually  about  twice  as  large.  Thus  when 
you  see  a  tractor  rated  at  1%  to  4,  4  to  8,  12  to  24,  16 

^  The  way  to  figure  the  horse-power  of  a  tractor,  or  other 
internal  combustion  engine  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  Page 
269. 

2  How  to  find  the  belt  horse  power  is  explained  in  the  Appendix. 

3  This  is  the  speed  given  by  the  makers  as  being  the  one  at 
which  the  engine  runs  most  efficiently. 


4       FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

to  30,  et  cetera,  et  cetera,  you  will  know  that  the  first 
number  is  the  horse  power  of  the  draw-bar  pull,  and 
that  the  second  number  is  the  horse  power  of  the 
power  take-off  of  the  Mt  pulley. 

The  Draw-Bar  Horse  Power  of  a  Tractor. —  The 
draw-bar  horse  power  is  the  pull  measured  in  horse 
power  that  a  tractor  is  capable  of  developing  at  the 
draw-bar.  The  standard  draw-bar  rating  ^  is  80  per 
cent,  of  the  horse  power  that  the  maker  guarantees  is 
developed  at  the  draw-bar  when  the  tractor  is  run  for 
two  hours  straight.^  Again  it  is  understood  that  the 
tractor  is  in  good  order  and  that  the  engine  is  running 
at  its  rated  speed.  Tests  to  determine  the  draw-bar 
horse  power  should  be  made  on  firm  ground  or  sod 
so  that  the  traction  members  will  not  slip.^ 

The  Speed  of  Tractors. —  While  the  Society  of 
Automotive  Engineers  has  determined  that  the  most 
efficient  speed  for  plowing  is  2%  miles  per  hour  for 
tractors  of  15  draw-bar  horse  power  and  under, 
tractors  are  so  designed  and  built  that  they  can  be 
run  at  varying  speeds  from  o  +  up  to  5  miles  an  hour, 
that  is,  each  individual  tractor  can  be  adjusted  to  meet 
the  running  conditions  imposed  upon  it. 

The  Weight  of  Tractors. —  Tractors  weigh  any- 
where from  530  pounds  which  is  the  Beeman  Garden 

1  This  is  the  standard  of  the  Society  of  Automobile  Engineers. 

2  These  tests  are  made  with  a  tractor  dynamometer,  a  full  de- 
scription of  which,  together  with  the  way  to  use  it  will  he  sent  you 
pratis  on  request  hy  The  Tractometcr  Company,  Santa  Fe  and 
Slanson  Aves.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

3  The  way  to  calculate  draw-bar  horse  power  is  given  on  Page 
210.  See  also  Draiv  Bar  Pull  of  a  Tractor  at  Various  Speeds, 
Page  271. 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL       5 

i%-4  H.  P.,  tractor  on  up  to  30,000  pounds 
which  is  the  Nichols  and  Shephard  Company's  Oil- 
Gas,  35-70  H.  P.,  tractor. 

The  5-10  H.  P.,  up  to  9-18  H.  P.,  tractors  range 
in  weight  from  2,450  pounds  to  3,000  pounds;  the 
10-18  H.  P.,  up  to  14-28  H.  P.,  tractors  weigh  from 
3,300  pounds  up  to  5,000  pounds;  the  15-22  H.  P., 
up  to  6-32  H.  P.,  weighs  from  4,400  pounds  up  to 
7,800  pounds;  the  17-35  H.  P.,  up  to  18-36  H.  P., 
weighs  from  5,300  pounds  to  6,500  pounds;  the  20- 
30  H.  P.,  up  to  25-40  H.  P.,  weighs  from  6,400 
pounds  up  to  13,000  pounds;  the  30-50  H.  P.,  up  to 
40-75  H.  P.,  weighs  from  13,000  pounds  up  to  28,- 
000  pounds;  the  40-60  H.  P.,  up  to  60-90  H.  P., 
weighs  18,700  to  28,000  pounds,  and,  lastly,  the  70- 
120  H.  P.,  tractors  weigh  in  the  neighborhood  of  30,- 
000  pounds. 

The  Plowing  Capacity  of  Tractors. —  The 
simplest,  if  not  the  most  accurate,  way  of  determining 
the  capacity  of  a  tractor  to  do  the  work  you  want  it 
to  do  is  to  know  how  many  plows  it  will  pull. 

For  plowing  small  plots  a  garden  tractor  that  pulls 
a  single  12-inch  plow  is  large  enough.  For  truck 
farming  you  will  need  a  tractor  that  will  pull  one  14- 
inch  plow.  For  an  ordinary  size  farm,  say  up  to  160 
acres,  you  will  need  a  tractor  which  will  pull  two 
plozvs,  while  for  a  big  farm,  that  is  to  say  one  of  more 
than  240  acres,  you  want  a  tractor  that  will  pull  three 
or  more  plows. 

A  tractor  rated  at  from  i  to  4  draw-bar  H.  P.,  will 


6       FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

pull  one  1 2-inch  plow,  one  of  8  draw-bar  H.  P.,  will 
pull  tzi'o  1 2-inch  plows,  while  a  lo  draw-bar  H.  P., 
tractor  will  easily  pull  tzvo  14-inch  plows  and  three 
14-inch  plows  can  be  used  at  times.  A  tractor  rated 
at  12  draw-bar  H.  P.,  and  there  are  nearly  fifty  makes 
to  choose  from,  will  pull  three  14-inch  plows,  though 
in  my  humble  opinion  a  tractor  of  this  horse  power 
will  do  better  when  pulling  two  14-inch  plows  in  most 
soils.^ 

A  15  to  20  draw-bar  H.  P.,  tractor  is  best  adapted 
to  pull  three  14-inch  plows,  though  sometimes  four 
plows  are  used.  Tractors  rated  at  16  draw-bar  H.  P., 
will  pull  three,  four  and  even  five  14-inch  plows,  the 
number,  of  course,  depending  on  the  kind  of  soil, 
while  for  some  of  the  20  horse  power  tractors  the 
makers  recommend  six  14-inch  plows.  A  tractor  rated 
at  22  to  26  draw-bar  H.  P.,  will  pull  five  or  six  14- 
inch  plows  while  a  tractor  of  from  30  to  38  draw-bar 
H.  P.,  will  pull  from  five  to  eight  14-inch  plows,  and, 
finally,  tractors  above  this  draw-bar  horse  power  rating 
will  take  care  of  from  eight  to  twelve  14-inch  plows. 

The  Normal  Draw-bar  Pull  in  Pounds. —  When 
the  tractor  is  used  to  haul  loads  or  do  other  draw-bar 
work  it  is  well  to  know  what  the  normal  draw-bar  pull 
in  pounds  is.  By  normal  is  meant  the  number  of 
pounds  that  the  tractor  is  rated  as  being  able  to  pull 
with  the  most  efficient  traction  effort.     The  following 

*  There  is  no  hard  and  fast  rule  as  to  how  many  plows  a  tractor 
can  pull  for  the  reason  that  soils  vary  greatly  and  they  are  much 
affected  by  moisture. 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL 


table  gives  roughly  the  normal  draw-bar  pull  in  pounds 
of  tractors  ranging  from  i  to  70  draw-bar  horse  power. 

Table  of  Normal  Draw-bar  Pull  in  Pounds 


Normal 

Draw-bar  H.  P., 

Belt  H.  P., 

Draw 

-bar 

of  Tractor 

of  Tractor 

Pull 

in 

Pounds 

I 

4 

200 

5 

10 

900 

8 

16 

1,200 

12 

20     , 

2,150 

18 

36 

3,100 

25 

50 

5,000 

30 

60 

6,000 

40 

80 

10,000 

70 

120 

12,600 

The  Length,  Width  and  Height  of  Tractors. — 

The  total  length  of  a  tractor,  or  overall  length  as  it  is 
called,  means  its  length  measured  from  its  foremost 
to  its  hindmost  point.  The  width  of  a  tractor  is  not 
apt  to  be  of  much  importance  but  the  length  of  it  may 

Table  of  Tractor  Dimensions 


Trade  Name 
of  Tractor 

Beeman    

Automotive    

Short  Turn  .... 
Creeping  Grip   . . 

Yankee    

Hollis    

Lombard  Tractor 

Truck   

Yuba   

Linn  Tractor 

Truck    

Caterpillar    


Draw-bar 

and  Belt 

Horse  Poiver 


Length 
in  Inches 

Width 
in  Inches 

86 
96 
96 

i7yA 

62 

82 

126 
141 

75 

71 

108 

144 
185 

78 

55 

192 

64 

252 

104 

Height 
in  Inches 


12-24 
12-25 
12-25 
12-25 
12-25 

10- 
20-35 

20-35 
70-120 


39 
52 
66 
72 
58 
67 

72 

55 

90 


8       FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

greatly  affect  its  turning  radius.  The  length,  width 
and  height  of  tractors  vary  greatly  not  only  in  dif- 
ferent makes  but  according  to  their  horse  power  ratings 
as  the  table  on  Page  /  shows. 

The  Height  of  the  Draw-Bar. —  The  draw-bar  is 
often  swivelled  so  that  it  can  be  adjusted  vertically 
within  narrow  limits.  The  height  of  draw-bars  from 
the  ground  ranges  from  6  inches,  as  in  the  Bull  Tractor 
Corporation's  Big  Bull  tractor,  to  24%  as  in  the  Case 
20-40.  In  those  tractors  that  have  adjustable  draw- 
bars the  vertical  distance  varies  from  2  inches  as  in 
the  Beeman  Model  F,  to  12  inches  as  in  the  Blumberg 
Steady  Pull  12-24. 

The  Clearance  of  Tractors. —  The  road  clearance 
in  tractor  parlance  means  the  vertical  distance  between 
the  lowest  part  of  the  tractor,  barring  the  traction 
members,  namely,  the  wheels  or  crawlers,  and  the 
ground,  and  it  is  measured  in  inches.  The  clearance  in 
some  tractors  is  as  little  as  6  inches  and  in  others  as 
much  as  22%  though  in  most  of  them  it  is  between  10 
and  15  inches. 

The  Sizes  of  Traction  Members. —  The  Face  and 
Diameter  of  Non-Drive  Wheels. —  As  the  small  wheels 
of  a  tractor  are  not  always  the  steering  wheels  they 
are  called  non-drive  wheels  in  order  to  cover  them  all 
under  one  classification.  The  face  of  the  non-drive 
wheels  may  be  anywhere  from  4  inches  wide  as  in  the 
Coleman,  Frick,  Fargeol  and  Automotive  tractors  up 
to  24  inches  wide  as  in  the  single  wheel  Tracklayer  75. 

The  Face  and  Diameter  of  Drive  Wheels. —  The 


I 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL       9 

face  of  the  drive  wheels  of  tractors  may  be  as  little 
as  3  inches  wide  as  in  the  Merry  Garden  Auto-Culti- 
vator, or  as  much  as  30  inches  across,  as  in  the  Minne- 
apolis 60  and  half  a  dozen  other  large  tractors. 

The  diameter  of  the  drive  wheels  range  from  20 
inches  (1%  feet),  as  in  the  Automotive,  up  to  90 
inches  (7%  feet),  as  in  the  Aultman-Taylor  30-60. 
The  majority  of  tractors,  however,  have  drive  wheels 


Fig.  I. —  The  Wheel  Base  of  a  Tractor 

whose  diameters  are  between  40  and  70  inches.  The 
reason  large  wheels  are  used  instead  of  smaller  ones 
will  be  found  in  Chapter  XII. 

The  Wheelbase  of  Tractors. —  The  wheelbase  of  a 
tractor  is  the  distance  from  the  center  of  the  hub  of 
a  front  wheel  to  the  center  of  the  hub  of  a  rear  wheel, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  i.  Why  a  long  wheel  base  is  de- 
sirable will  also  be  explained  on  Page  262.  The 
wheelbase  varies  in  different  tractors,  the  shortest  be- 


lo     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

ing  about  i6  inches  in  the  Merry  Garden  Auto  Culti- 
vator and  1 68  inches  in  the  Twin  City  60.  The  wheel- 
base  lengths  used  in  most  tractors  run  from  75  to 
100  inches. 

The  Face,  Length  and  Area  of  Crawlers. —  Like 
wheel  traction  members,  crawlers  are  of  all  widths  and 
lengths  and,  consequently,  their  traction  surface  areas 
vary  within  wide  limits  according  to  the  ideas  of  their 
respective  designers  and  the  size  of  the  tractors  they 
are  used  on.  Thus  it  is  that  the  width  of  the  face  of 
a  crawler  is  as  small  as  7  inches,  as  in  the  E.  F.  T.  1 5- 
30,  and  as  large  as  24  inches  as  in  the  Tracklayer  75. 

The  lengths  of  the  crawlers  vary  all  the  way  from 
13/4  inches  as  in  the  Elgin  iCH-20,  to  153  inches  in 
the  Leader  C,  18-36.  The  smallest  surface  area  used 
in  a  tractor  crawler  is  found  in  the  Hicks  12-25, 
which  has  only  334  square  inches,  and  the  largest 
surface  area  is  had  in  the  Tracklayer  75  which  has 
3,700  square  inches.  The  difference  in  the  traction  re- 
sistance in  drive  wheels  and  crawlers  will  be  taken  up 
in  Chapter  XII . 

Percentage  of  Weight  on  Driving  Members. — 
The  proportion  of  weight  of  the  tractor  that  bears 
on  the  drive  wheels,  or  crawlers,  varies  in  the  two 
types  of  machines  as  well  as  in  the  same  type  of  dif- 
ferent makes. 

In  two  wheel  garden  tractors  like  the  Beenian  and 
Atlantic  Cultivator  the  full  weight  of  the  tractor,  i.  e., 
100  per  cent.,  falls  on  the  drive  wheels.  In  the  Allis- 
Chalmers  General  Purpose,  the  Universal  A-ig,  1-4, 


I 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL      ii 

the  Princess  Pat  VI,  10-20,  and  the  Trenan  12-24, 
tractors  all  of  which  have  two  large  drive  wheels  and 
one  small  support  wheel,  90  per  cent,  of  the  weight 
is  carried  by  the  former. 

So,  too,  in  the  Anltman-Taylor  30-60,  the  Automo- 
tive 12-24,  the  Short  Dill  26,  and  the  Mollis  tractors, 
which  are  equipped  with  four  wheels,  90  per  cent, 
of  the  weight  rests  on  the  drive  wheels,  while  in  the 
Power  15-30,  which  is  a  four  wheel  tractor,  95  per 
cent,  of  the  weight  falls  on  the  drive  wheels. 

In  practically  all  other  tractors  having  wheeled 
members  the  weight  on  the  drive  wheels  is  from  50  to 
88  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  tractor  but  with  the 
larger  number  of  machines  the  weight  is  from  60  to 
66  per  cent,  of  the  total  tractor  weight.  Where 
crawlers  alone  are  used  the  weight  carried  by  them 
is  of  course  100  per  cent,  of  its  weight  of  the  tractor. 

Range  of  Speed  and  Gear  Ratios. —  The  speed  of 
a  tractor  depends  on  three  chief  factors  and  these  are 
(i)  the  speed  the  engine  is  running  at,  (2)  the  size  of 
the  drive  wheels,  and  (3)  the  ratio  of  the  transmission 
gears,  which  means  the  size  of  one  gear  connected  with 
the  crankshaft  of  the  engine,  with  the  size  of  another 
gear  that  finally  connects  with  the  drive  wheels. 

High  gear  ratio  means  that  the  engine  crankshaft  is 
connected  to  the  drive  wheels  through  the  transmission 
gears  so  that  the  tractor  will  travel  at  its  greatest 
speed.  Hence,  the  speed  of  the  engine  shaft  is  reduced 
only  a  small  amount  in  relation  to  the  spiral  drive  shaft 
and  the  drive  wheels. 


12     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

Suppose  that  the  high  gear  ratio  as  given  by  the 
makers  is  70:  i ;  now  when  the  large  gear  of  the  trans- 
mission is  thrown  into  mesh  with  the  small  one  of  the 
transmission  the  difference  in  the  size  of  gears  is  very 
small  and  this  gives  the  tractor  speed  at  the  sacrifice  of 
power. 

Low  gear  transmission  is  just  the  reverse  of  the 
above,  to  wit,  the  engine  crankshaft  is  connected  to  the 
drive  wheels  through  the  transmission  gears  so  that 
the  tractor  will  travel  at  its  slowest  speed.  Now  the 
two  gears  in  mesh  vary  greatly,  the  small  one  being 
connected  to  the  engine  shaft  and  the  large  one  to  the 
drive  shaft  or  rear  axle  and  wheels. 

As  an  example,  if  the  low  gear  ratio  is  97:  i  when 
the  small  gear  of  the  transmission,  which  is  connected 
to  the  engine,  is  thrown  into  mesh  with  the  large  one, 
the  engine  will  have  a  speed  97  times  as  great  as  that  of 
the  drive  wheels.  This  gives  the  tractor  power  at  the 
expense  of  speed. 

The  Turning  Radius  of  a  Tractor. — The  term 
turning  radius  of  a  tractor  means  the  radius  of  the 
smallest  circle,  measured  in  feet,  in  which  the  tractor 
can  turn  completely  around.  The  radius  of  this  circle, 
or  turning  radius  as  it  is  called,  is  found  as  follows: 

Turn  the  front  wheels  of  your  tractor  to  the  right 
or  left  as  far  as  they  will  go  and  the  turning  radius 
will  then  be  the  radius  of  the  circle  whose  circumfer- 
ence passes  through  the  hub  of  the  outer  front  wheel 
and  whose  center  is  at  the  hub  of  the  inner  rear  wheel 
as  shown  in  Fig.  2. 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL 


13 


There  are  several  factors  that  determine  the  size 
of  the  circle  the  tractor  can  turn  in  and  these  are  (A) 
in  wheel  tractors  ( i )  the  length  of  the  wheel  base,  (2) 
the  number  of  wheels,  (3)  the  disposition  of  the  wheels 
and  (4)  the  angle  of  the  arc  through  which  the  front 
wheels  turn. 

Where  (B)  the  tractor  members  are  crawlers  then 


/ 


/ 


/ 


\ 


^  ir^ 


\  \ 
\ 


■^ 


\ 


N        \ 
96 — * 

TURNING   ffAd^OS        \ 
/(/GHr  OR  LEFT        I 


/ 


y 


Fig.  2. — "The  Turning  Radius  of  a  Tractor 


the  turning  radius  depends  on  ( i )  the  length  of  the 
crawlers,  (2)  their  distance  apart,  and  (3)  whether 
one  of  them  can  be  reversed  when  a  turn  is  being  made. 
Thus  a  three  wheel  tractor  usually  has  a  shorter  turn- 
ing radius  than  a  four  wheel  tractor  of  the  same  wheel- 
base  while  a  four  wheel  tractor  in  which  the  front 


14     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

wheels  are  mounted  on  a  pivoted  axle  cannot  turn  in 
as  small  a  circle  as  one  wherein  the  wheels  are  mounted 
on  a  knuckle  axle. 

Some  tractors  have  a  turning  radius  as  small  as 
4  feet,  as  for  instance  the  Mollis,  Model  M,  15-2^ 
and  the  Short  Turn  20-^0,  that  is  to  say  either  of  these 
tractors  can  turn  in  a  circle  whose  diameter  is  8  feet; 
again,  other  tractors  have  a  turning  radius  as  large 
as  48  feet,  as  the  Ohio  General,  13-30,  which  means 
that  the  smallest  circle  it  can  turn  in  must  have  a 
diameter  of  96  feet. 

The  Prices  of  Tractors. —  You  can  buy  a  tractor 
such  as  the  Atlantic  Garden  Cultivator  for  $185,  or 
you  can  spend  $6,250  for  a  Yankee  Ball  Tread  tractor, 
or  anything  in  between  these  amounts.  Garden 
tractors  cost  anywhere  from  $185  for  the  Atlantic 
Cultivator,  as  above  stated,  to  $465  for  the  Auto- 
Tiller,  and  the  above  tractors  pull  one  4  inch  to  one 
12  inch  plow,  according  to  the  price,  and  you  have  to 
walk  behind  them. 

There  are  four  14  inch  plow  tractors  in  the  market 
and  these  cost  from  $785  to  $900  each  but  in  every  case 
they  are  provided  with  seats  so  that  he  who  plows 
may  ride.  Of  tivo  plozv  tractors  there  are  about  40 
makes  on  the  market  ranging  in  price  from  $800  to 
$1,595.  Of  the  next  size  tractor  there  are  an  even 
dozen  styles  and  these  are  recommended  to  pull  two 
or  three  14  inch  plows  and  cost  from  $1,200  to  $1,800. 

Three  plow  tractors  are  the  favorite  of  the  makers 
and,  hence,  it  is  a  safe  deduction  to  say  of  the  buyers, 


ABOUT  TRACTORS  IN  GENERAL     15 

for  there  are  65  makes  of  them  and  the  prices  run 
from  $1,125  to  $5,800  though  the  average  price  is, 
I  should  say,  about  $1,800.  Of  the  three  to  four  14 
inch  plozv  tractors  there  are  only  25  makes  and  these 
are  sold  at  from  $1,175  to  $6,000  so  that  you  have 
a  great  range  in  price  if  not  so  many  makes  to  choose 
from. 

Of  the  strictly  four-plow  tractors  there  are  about 
a  score,  and  the  current  prices  of  these  are  from  $1,750 
to  $4,000.  There  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  dozen 
makes  of  tractors  that  pull  from  four  to  five,  four  to 
six  and  four  to  twelve  plows  and  the  average  price  is 
something  like  $3,000.  And  finally  tractors  that  pull 
from  five  to  twelve  plows  cost  from  $5,000  to  $10,000  ^ 
each. 

In  Conclusion. —  While  the  above  explanations 
covering  the  factors  of  tractors  are  necessary  in  order 
to  gather  an  intelligent  conception  of  their  general 
characteristics  and  hence  have  to  do  with  the  kind  of 
a  tractor  you  want,  still  there  are  other  vital  features 
which  must  be  taken  into  consideration  when  you  are 
ready  to  buy  a  tractor  and  these  will  be  fully  discussed 
in  the  last  chapter. 

1  The  prices  all  through  this  book  are  provisional  and  are  given 
chiefly  by  way  of  comparison. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR 

While  the  design  of  tractors  is  by  no  means  fixed 
still  the  individual  parts  of  all  of  them  are  quite  alike 
and  whatever  the  make  may  be  the  construction  of 
the  different  parts  follows  along  the  same  general 
lines  if  we  make  occasional  exceptions. 

Now  the  easiest  way  to  get  a  clear  understanding 
of  how  tractors  are  built  and  work  is  to  examine  the 
various  parts,  see  how  they  are  made,  what  they  are 
for  and  the  roles  they  play.  This  you  can  do  better 
by  first  reading  a  description  and  looking  at  the  pic- 
tures of  them  than  you  can  by  going  over  the  tractor 
itself. 

The  Chief  Parts  of  a  Tractor. —  A  tractor  of  any 
kind  is  made  up  of  the  following  principal  parts, 
namely,  (i)  the  frame,  which  is  the  foundation  on 
and  around  which  the  tractor  is  built,  (2)  the  trac- 
tion members,  as  the  wheels  and  crawlers  are  called, 

(3)  the  power  unit,  which  includes  the  engine  and 
all  of  its  ancillary  devices,  that  develops  the  power, 

(4)  the  transmission  system,  which  transmits  the  power 
of  the  engine  to  the  drive  wheels  or  crawlers  by 
various  clutches,  gears  and  shafts,   (5)   the  steering 

16 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR  17 

gear  by  and  through  which  the  tractor  is  steered,  and 
(6)  the  braking  devices  for  stopping  the  tractor. 

The  Frame  Comes  First. —  The  frame  is  supported 
by  the  wheels  or  crawlers,  and  it,  in  turn  carries  the 
engine,  the  transmission  system  and  all  the  other 
numerous  parts  that  go  to  make  up  the  tractor. 
Further,  the  frame  must  be  sufficiently  rigid  so  that 
all  of  the  power  units  will  remain  fixed  in  their  posi- 
tions relative  to  each  other. 

Now  tractor  frames  are  made  in  one  of  two  ways, 
to  wit,  either  (i)  of  one  piece  of  steel,  or  they  are 
(2)  built  up  of  structural  steel.  Where  a  frame  is 
made  of  one  piece  it  is  either  (a)  cast  in  a  mold,  or 
(b)  pressed  of  sheet  steel,  that  is  of  boiler  plate,  but 
where  it  is  built  up  it  is  formed  of  I  girders  or  ship 
steel  channels  which  are  fastened  together  with  hot 
rivets  hammered  down  with  a  power  riveter  which 
applies  a  pressure  of  75  tons  to  each  rivet.  A  one 
piece  pressed  U-section  frame  of  a  Willis  tractor  is 
shown  at  A  in  Fig.  j  and  a  built-up  deep  girder  frame 
of  a  Twin  City  tractor  is  shown  at  B. 

What  a  Three  Point  Suspension  Means. —  To  en- 
able the  tractor  to  travel  easily  over  rough  ground 
and  so  prevent  the  power  units  from  being  jarred 
out  of  alignment  a  three  point  suspension  is  used. 

A  three  point  suspension  means  that  the  frame  rests 
on  three  points  and  not  on  four.  As  an  illustration 
take  a  four-legged  table  where  one  leg  is  shorter  than 
the  others ;  such  a  table  will  not  stand  evenly  and  will 
be  inclined  to  rock ;  oppositely,  a  table  with  only  three 


■2^^ 


i8 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR 


19 


legs  will  always  set  firm  though  it  may  not  set  level. 
The  three  point  suspension  scheme  is  used  in  the 


A  -r/fS  OALl.  ANO  SOCKCr  SUSP£NS/0A/ 

Fig.  4A.—  Kinds  of  Three  Point 
Suspensions 


B  -  SPAfA/G 

Fig.  4b. 


SOSPSA/S/OAf 

Kinds  of  Three  Point 
Suspensions 


construction  of  wheel  vehicles  of  all  kinds  be  it  a 
wheelbarrow  or  a  locomotive.  In  a  tractor  two  of  the 
points  of  suspension  must  rest  on  the  rear  axle  near  the 


20     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

hubs  of  the  wheels  and  the  third  point  of  suspension 
rests  on  the  middle  of  the  front  axle. 


C-  Sv/iv£L  suspcrtsiofr 


Fig.  4C. —  Kinds  of  Three  Point 
Suspensions 


D  -r/iE  RIGfD  SUSfi£NS/QN 

Fig.  4d. —  Kinds  of  Three  Point 
Suspensions 


Kinds  of  Front  Suspension. —  The  point  that  rests 
on  the  front  axle,  or  front  suspension  as  it  is  called, 
is  either  ( i )  a  ball  and  socket  smpension,  (2)  a  spring 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR         21 

suspension,  (3)  a  swivel  suspension,  or  (4)  a  rigid 
suspension. 

In  the  ball  and  socket  suspension  a  large  ball  which 
is  fixed  to  the  front  end  of  the  frame  fits  into  a  socket 
in  the  front  axle  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  4.  In  the 
spring  suspension  the  spring  is  mounted  on  the  front 
axle  and  the  front  end  of  the  frame  is  secured  to  the 
middle  of  it  as  shown  at  B. 

Where  a  swivel  suspension  is  used  the  front  end 
of  the  frame  is  simply  pivoted  to  the  front  axle 
as  shown  at  C,  while  finally  in  the  rigid  suspension 
the  front  end  of  the  frame  is  rigidly  fixed  to  the  front 
axle  as  at  D. 

The  Draw-Bar. —  The  draw-bar  is  usually  fixed  to 
a  cross  brace  on  the  frame,  as  shown  in  Fig.  5,  that 
sets  in  front  of  the  rear  axle  and  it  should  have  a  coil 
spring  suspension  to  allow  it  to  give  a  little  and  to 
absorb  the  shocks.  The  coupler  end  sets  well  back 
of  the  rear  axle  so  that  plows  and  other  implements 
can  be  easily  and  quickly  hitched  to  it.  In  some 
tractors  the  draw-bar  is  ( i )  rigid,  and  in  others  it  is 
(2)  pivoted  to  allow  it  to  move  from  side  to  side, 
while  in  a  few  it  is  (3)  swivelled  so  that  its  height 
can  be  adjusted. 

About  the  Axles  of  Tractors. —  There  are  two 
axles  used  in  tractors  having  four  wheels,^  or  where 
a  single,  front,  non-drive  wheel,  or  a  single,  rear,  non- 
drive  wheel  is  employed  the  stub  journal  it  sets  on 

1  Except  the  Post  tractor,  which  has  four  wheels  but  with  one 
drive  wheel  in  the  front  and  one  in  the  rear. 


22     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

may  be  considered  as  the  equivalent  of  an  axle.  There 
are  two  kinds  of  tractor  axles  and  these  are  (i)  the 
non-drive  axle,  and  (2)  the  drive  axle. 

The  Non-Drive  Axle. —  This  is  usually  the  front 
axle,  though  there  are  half-a-dozen  tractors  where  it 
is  the  rear  axle  and  in  the  Post  it  is  the  middle  axle. 


Fig.  s. —  The  Draw  Bar  on  a  Twin 
City  Tractor  Frame 


Where  it  is  either  the  front  or  the  rear  axle  it  is  ( i ) 
made  to  turn  on  a  pivot  in  the  end  of  the  frame,  or 
it  is  (2)  rigidly  fixed  to  the  end  of  the  frame. 

Where  it  turns  on  a  pivot  the  wheels  are  mounted 
on  and  rotate  around  the  ends  of  it,  but  where  it  is 
rigid  and  used  for  steering  it  is  provided  with  knuckles 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR         23 

on  which  the  wheels  are  mounted  and  these  allow 
them  to  swing  either  way.  As  these  axle  assemblies 
have  to  do  with  steering  the  tractor  as  well  as  to  help 
support  the  frame,  they  will  be  more  fully  described  in 
Part  III  of  Chapter  III  under  the  heading  of  the  Steer- 
ing Gear. 

The  Drive  Axle. —  As  this  axle  carries  the  drive 
wheels  it  must,  therefore,  always  be  at  right  angles 
to  the  line  of  traction ;  since  this  is  the  case  it  is  rigidly 
attached  to  the  frame.  There  are  three  kinds  of  drive 
axles  that  have  found  favor  with  tractor  engineers, 
and  these  are,  (i)  the  dead  axle,  (2)  the  live  axle, 
and  (3)  the  stub  axle. 

The  dead  axle,  as  it  is  called,  is  one  that  is  rigidly 
fixed  to  the  frame  and,  hence,  does  not  transmit 
power  to  the  drive  wheels  which  revolve  on  its  ends. 
Tractors  whose  drive  wheels  are  driven  by  chains  and 
bull-gears  are  of  this  type.  A  live  axle  is  one  that 
revolves  and  transmits  power  to  the  drive  wheels  but 
which  runs  in  a  hollow  axle,  or  housing,  and  to  the 
latter  is  fixed  the  frame  of  the  tractor;  live  axles  are 
used  where  the  differential  gears  ^  are  placed  on  a 
separate  shaft. 

Finally  a  stub  axle  is  one  that  carries  the  differential 
between  its  opposed  ends  while  the  drive  wheels  are 
keyed  to  the  outer  ends.  The  stubs  rotate  in  a  hollow 
tube  or  housing  and  this  is  fixed  to  the  frame  of  the 
tractor. 

The  Suspension  Springs  of  a  Tractor. —  Some 

1  See  Part  II,  Chapter  III,  for  a  description  of  the  Differential. 


24      FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

tractors  are  provided  with  suspension  springs  but  the 
larger  numbers  are  not  so  equipped.  Where  springs 
are  used  they  are  either  (i)  coiled  springs,  (2)  semi- 
elliptic  springs,  or  (3)  platform  springs. 

Some  tractors  have  their  frames  mounted  on  (i) 
springs  in  front  only,  others  have  their  frames 
mounted  on  (2)  springs  in  the  rear  only,  and  a  few 
have  their  frames  mounted  on  (3)  springs  at  both 
the  front  and  rear  ends. 

The  Traction  Members  of  Tractors. —  There  are 
three  distinct  kinds  of  traction  members  used  on 
tractors  and  these  are   (i)   wheels,   (2)   drums,  and 

(3)  crawlers,  endless  track,  tracklayers,  or  cater- 
pillars,^  as  this  last  type  is  variously  called,  and,  lastly, 

(4)  there  are  divers  combinations  of  wheels  and  crawl- 
ers used. 

Wheel  Traction  Members. —  Many  tractors  have 
three  wheels  only  and  this  type  is  divided  into  those 
that  have  {A)  two  drive  wheels  in  the  rear  and  a 
single  non-drive  wheel  in  front,  (J5)  two  drive  wheels 
in  front  which  also  serve  to  steer  with,  and  a  single 
non-drive  wheel  in  the  rear,  and  (C)  two  non-drive 
wheels  in  front  and  a  single  drive  wheel  in  the  rear. 

But  by  far  the  larger  number  of  makes  of  tractors 
have  {D)  four  wheels,  and  some  of  these  are  driven 
by  (a)  the  front  wheels,  the  majority  are  driven  by 
{b)  the  rear  wheels,  while  a  few  are  driven  by  (c) 

1  While  tractors  of  the  crawler  type  are  often  called  cater- 
pillars, the  word  caterpillar  is  the  U.  S.  registered  trade-mark  of 
the  Holt  Mfg.  Co.,  Peoria,  111.,  and,  hence,  it  can  only  be  properly 
applied  to  their  tractors. 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR         25 

all  four  wheels.  An  outstanding  tractor  in  the  way  of 
traction  members  is  the  Wilson  which  has  five  wheels, 
three  of  which  are  drivers  at  the  rear  end. 

The  Construction  of  Tractor  Wheels. —  The  non- 
drive  wheels  are  either  (i)  made  of  cast-iron,  or  (2) 
are  built  up  oi  pressed  steel  rims  and  spoked  with  flat 
steel  bars  riveted  to  them. 

Nearly  all  tractors  use  drive  wheels  of  the  built  up 


Am  COMPRESSIONAL  WHEEL  5  .  A  SUSP£NS/OAf  tyHESL 

Fig.  6. —  Kinds  of  Drive  Wheels 

type  and  of  these  there  are  two  kinds,  namely,  (^)  the 
compressional  wheel  and  (B)  the  suspension  wheel. 

In  the  compressional  kind  the  bars  are  riveted  to  the 
inside  of  the  rim  and  to  the  outside  of  the  hub  as  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  6.  In  this  wheel  the  weight  of  the  tractor 
rests  chiefly  on  the  two  or  three  spokes  at  the  point 
where  the  rim  makes  contact  with  the  ground  and 
hence  the  stress  on  the  wheel  is  compressional  like  that 
on  a  wagon,  or  motor  car  wheel  when  made  of  wood. 

In  the  suspension  kind  the  spoke  rods  pass  through 


26     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

and  are  fixed  on  the  outside  of  the  rim  and  are  secured 
to  the  inside  of  the  hub  in  the  same  fashion  as  the 
wire  spokes  in  a  bicycle,  or  other  spoked  wheel,  as 
shown  at  B.  Hence  the  weight  is  suspended  from  the 
top  of  the  rim  and  the  stress  is  consequently  distributed 
on  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  spokes.  For  this  reason 
the  suspension  wheel  is  considered  the  best  practice. 


A  -  ^  OGS  OA^  A  ORiVe  iVH££L 

Fig.  7a,  b. —  Drive  Wheel  Grips 


B  -  >=?  r  TRACH  SHOES  OA/ A 


The  Lugs  and  Track-Shoes  on  Drive  Wheels. —  To 
keep  the  drive  wheels  from  slipping  in  soft  soil  and 
to  reduce  the  rolling  resistance  lugs  and  pads,  or  track- 
shoes,  as  the  latter  are  called,  are  fixed  to  and  on  the 
rims  as  shown  at  A  and  B  in  Fig.  '/,  and  in  the  first 
case  they  can  be  put  on  or  taken  off. 

Where  lugs  are  used  the  wheel  tends  to  sink  into 
the  soft  soil  and  then  the  line  of  travel  is  really  up- 
hill, as  shown  at  C,  and  this  adds  to  the  power  re- 
quired to  drive  the  tractor.     To  get  around  this  un- 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR 


27 


toward  feature  the  pad,  or  track  shoe,  was  devised 
and  a  number  of  them  are  either  pivoted  on  and  around 
the  rim,  as  shown  at  D,  or  else  they  are  hinged  to- 
gether in  an  endless  series  and  set  on  the  rim  as  at 
B.  With  either  kind  of  track-shoe  the  wheel  is  con- 
verted into  a  semi-crawler,  laying  its  own  steel  track 
so  that  there  is  no  digging  in  and  in  which  the  travel 
is  continuously  in  a  straight  line  forward. 


rf^^ 


^'GPtP  PADS  G/VE  A  LEVEL 
L/Ne  OF  TRAVEL 


Fig.  7c,  D. —  Effect  of  Drive  Wheel  Grips 


Drum  Traction  Members. —  A  couple  of  tractors 
use  a  wide  drive  wheel,  or  drum,  at  the  rear,  and  like 
the  single  drive  wheel,  the  drum  does  away  with  the 
differential,  the  construction  of  which  is  explained  in 
the  next  chapter.  The  drum  is  driven  by  chains  on 
the  sides  and  they  are  provided  with  spikes  or  lugs. 
A  wide  drive  drum  gives,  of  course,  a  larger  amount, 
of  traction  surface  area  than  a  drive  wheel. 

Crawler  Traction  Members. —  How  They  Work. 
—  The  principle  involved  in  the  crawler  type  of  tractor 
is  that  of  an  endless  belt  running  on  a  pair  of  pulleys. 
Different,  however,   from  a  belt  running  on  pulleys 


28     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

wherein  the  bearings  of  the  latter  remain  in  the  same 
relative  positions,  not  only  with  respect  to  themselves 
but  also  with  respect  to  the  earth,  both  the  drive  wheels 
and  the  endless  track  of  a  crawler  tractor  move  for- 
ward together  and  progressively,  due  to  the  traction 
resistance  between  the  track  and  the  ground. 

The  endless  tracks  used  in  crawlers  are  made  of 
jointed  steel  plates  which  have  grooves  or  holes  in 
them  at  equal  distances  apart  and  the  sprocket  teeth 
on  the  rims  of  the  drive  wheels  mesh  with  these  just 


Fig.  8. —  Crawler  Shoes  and  Crawlers 

as  they  do  in  a  sprocket  and  chain  bicycle  drive.  From 
this  you  will  see  that  the  wheels  themselves  do  not 
touch  the  ground  but  each  plate,  or  shoe,  as  it  comes 
in  contact  with  the  ground  lays  there  until  it  reaches 
the  rear  wheel  when  it  is  picked  up ;  and  thus  it  is  that 
a  steel  track  is  laid  by  the  crawler  for  the  tractor  to 
run  on. 

How  They  are  Made. —  The  construction  of  the 
crawler  shoes  and  the  way  they  are  linked  together  is 
shown  at  A  in  Fig.  8,  which  is  a  top  view  of  a  Cletrac 
crawler  track,  while  the  way  the  endless  track  is  driven 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR         29 

by  the  sprockets  is  shown  at  B^  which  is  a  side  view 
of  a  Leader  tractor  crawler  mechanism. 

Crawler  tractors  are  very  like  wheel  tractors  in-so- 
far  as  the  various  parts  are  concerned,  since  it  has  a 
frame,  traction  members,  engine  and  transmission 
system.  Unlike  the  wheel  tractor,  though,  very  few 
crawler  tractors  have  a  differential  but  nearly  all  of 
them  have  drive  sprockets  and  the  power  from  the 
engine  to  the  final  drive  shaft  is,  in  nearly  every  make, 
transmitted  and  controlled  by  clutches. 

The  Power  Plant  of  a  Tractor. —  To  drive  the 
traction  members  each  tractor  must  have  a  power  plant 
and  this  consists  of  ( i )  a  gasoline  or  an  oil  engine, 
and  includes  the  power  take-off,  (2)  a  clutch,  (3) 
transmission  gears,  or  gear-set  as  it  is  called,  (4)  a 
differential,  usually  but  not  always,  and  (5)  the  final 
drive. 

As  each  of  the  above  is  a  highly  specialized  piece 
of  machinery  that  forms  the  very  vitals  of  a  tractor, 
and,  consequently,  which  you  ought  to  know  all  about, 
I  will  treat  them  separately  and  with  due  regard  to 
detail  in  the  next  chapter. 

Kinds  of  Bearings  Used. —  What  Friction  Is. — 
You  have  observed  that  when  you  slide  one  body 
over  another  the  motion  is  opposed  by  a  kind  of  re- 
sistance and  this  is  called  friction.  Now  friction  is 
caused  by  the  minute  elevations  and  depressions  of 
the  opposed  surfaces  which  interlock  and  it  is  further 
increased  by  the  adhesion  of  those  parts  that  touch  the 
closest. 


30     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

Now  there  are  two  kinds  of  friction  and  these  are 
(i)  sliding  friction  and  (2)  rolling  friction.  Sliding 
friction  is  much  greater  than  rolling  friction,  though 
the  latter  is  in  evidence  even  when  the  surfaces  are 
highly  polished  and  this  is  due  to  both  cohesion  and 
surface  deformation  where  the  latter  makes  contact 
with  the  other  body. 

About  the  Bearings. —  In  tractors  of  both  the  wheel 
and  crawler  types  three  kinds  of  bearings  are  used 


PLAIN 
3£A^/A/CS 


B 

5ALL 
dEAR/NGS 


c 

ROLLER 
BEAR/NGS 


D 

r/MHEN 

TAPER  ROLLER 

6EAR/NGS 


Fig.  9. —  Kinds  of  Bearings 


to  lessen  the  friction,  and  these  are   (i)   plain  hear- 
ings, (2)  hall  hearings,  and  (3)  roller  bearings. 

In  plain  bearings  a  polished  steel  pin  or  journal,  as 
the  middle  and  ends  of  a  shaft  are  called,  respectively, 
is  made  to  revolve  in  babbitt  or  bronze  bearings.  This 
is  because  it  has  been  found  that  where  two  surfaces 
slide  on  each  other  —  and  the  friction  between  a  rotat- 
ing journal  and  a  stationary  bearing  is,  obviously, 
sliding  friction  —  if  one  of  them  is  harder  than  the 
other  the  friction  is  less  than  where  both  are  of  the 


THE  PARTS  OF  A  TRACTOR         31 

same  metal.     A  plain  bearing  is  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  p. 

Since  rolling  friction  is  much  less  than  sliding  fric- 
tion ball  bearings  and  roller  bearings  are  widely  used 
in  the  various  rotating  parts  of  tractors.  A  ball  bear- 
ing, see  B,  does  not  offer  as  much  surface  contact  as 
a  roller  bearing  and,  hence,  there  is  less  friction  than 
in  the  latter  and  these  are  always  used  for  the  smaller 
bearings.  But  where  bearings  must  carry  great 
stresses  and  strains  roller  bearings,  as  shown  at  C  and 
D,  stand  up  better. 

The  specifications  of  165  different  tractors  chosen 
at  random  showed  that  there  were  103  whose  front 
axles  have  plain  bearings,  55  that  have  roller  bearings 
and  7  that  are  fitted  with  ball  bearings,  while  out  of 
the  same  number  of  tractors  y2  have  rear  axles  with 
plain  bearings,  83  have  roller  bearings  and  11  have 
ball  bearings. 

The  transmission  bearings,  countershaft,  inter- 
mediate shaft,  differential,  pulley  and  fan  shafts  of 
various  tractors  use  (a)  plain  bearings,  (b)  ball  bear- 
ings, and  (c)  roller  bearings  and  these  will  be  taken 
into  account  as  we  move  along. 

The  Gears  Used  in  Tractors. —  Gears  are  made  of 
seven  kinds  of  metal,  as  the  following  list  shows,  and 
which  also  indicates  their  worth  as  far  as  service  is 
concerned  since  they  run  from  the  poorest  to  the  best. 
Named,  these  kinds  are,  (i)  cast  iron,  (2)  cast  steel, 
(3)  common  steel,  (4)  carbon  steel,  (5)  crucible  steel, 
(6)  semi-steel  and  (7)  alloy  steel.  Alloy  steel  is  one 
which  usually  contains  a  small  per  cent,  of  nickel  or 


3a 


33 


34 


H 

OS 

< 

9 

OS 

W 


35 


36     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

manganese  and  this  makes  it  very  tough  and  wear  re- 
sisting. 

Further  gears  are  either  (A)  cast,  or  {B)  machined. 
Where  a  gear  is  cast  it  cannot,  of  course,  be  as  ac- 
curate or  run  as  smooth  as  one  that  is  machined,  that 
is,  one  whose  teeth  are  cut  in  a  shaper.  Finally,  gears 
may  be  either  (a)  case  hardened  or  (b)  heat  treated. 
In  a  case  hardened  gear  only  the  outer  surface  is 
hardened,  while  in  a  heat  treated  gear  the  whole  mass 
is  tempered  and  retempered  clear  through  and  this  pro- 
vides a  longer  wearing  gear.  The  best  gears  that 
can  be  made  are  formed  of  chrome-nickel  or  mangan- 
ese steel,  machined  and  heat  treated. 

Tractor  Types  Complete. —  A  top  view  of  a  Twin 
City  40-65  tractor  is  shown  in  Fig.  10,  and  a  three- 
quarter  view  of  ,a  Twin  City  60-po  tractor  is  shown  in 
Fig.  II.  Likewise  a  top  view  of  a  yton  Caterpillar 
tractor  is  shown  in  Fig.  12  and  a  three-quarter  view  of 
a  lO'ton  Caterpillar  tractor  is  shown  in  Fig.  ij. 


I 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR 

From  the  chapter  that  has  gone  before  you  have 
seen  that  the  mechanism  of  a  tractor  of  whatever  make 
consists  of  four  chief  parts  and  these  are  (i)  the  en- 
gine; (2)  the  transmission  system;  (3)  the  steering 
gear;  and  (4)  the  brakes,  and  to  do  them  justice  I  will 
describe  them  under  three  separate  headings. 

Part  I 
HOW  THE  ENGINE  IS  MADE  AND  WORKS 

As  I  have  previously  pointed  out  all  tractor  engines 
are  built  and  operate  on  the  same  fundamental  prin- 
ciple whether  they  are  formed  of  one  or  more  cylinders. 
But  to  simplify  matters,  let's  take  a  single  cylinder 
engine  and  tear  it  down  to  get  at  the  parts  of  it  and 
then  reassemble  it  to  find  out  how  it  works. 

The  Parts  of  a  Tractor  Engine. —  A  tractor  engine 
is  made  exactly  like  that  of  a  motor  car  engine  and, 
hence,  is  built  up  of  the  following  parts:  (i)  the 
cylinder;  (2)  the  piston;  (3)  the  connecting  rod;  (4) 
the  crankshaft;  (5)  the  inlet  valve;  (6)  the  exhaust 
valve;  (7)  the  timing  gears;  (8)  the  camshaft;  (9) 

37 


38     FARxM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

the  lubricating  system ;  (lo)  the  carburetor;  (ii)  the 
ignition  system;  (12)  the  cooling  system,  and,  finally, 
(13)  a  crankcase,  which  is  cast  integral  with  (14)  the 
base. 

The  Cylinder,  Piston,  Connecting  Rod  and  Crank- 
shaft.—  The  cylinder,  which  is  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  14, 
IS  an  iron  block  with  the  inside  bored  out  to  a  true 
hole  and  to  an  exact  size.  One  end  is  closed  and  the 
other,  which  is  open,  is  bolted  to  the  crankcase  /  to 
keep  the  dirt  out  and  the  oil  in.  The  inlet  and  exhaust 
valves  G  and  H  are  fitted  in  the  closed  end  of  the 
cylinder. 

The  piston,  see  B,  is  a  hollow  cylindrical  casting 
closed  at  one  end,  with  grooves  cut  around  it  so  that 
iron  piston  rings  can  be  fitted  into  them.  These  rings 
make  the  piston  fit  close  in  the  cylinder  and  yet  permit 
it  to  slide  to  and  fro  easily. 

The  small  end  of  the  connecting  rod  C  is  coupled 
to  it  by  means  of  a  wrist  pin,  while  the  other  and  larger 
end  of  the  connecting  rod  is  coupled  to  the  crank  pin  of 
the  crankshaft  which  is  shown  at  D;  and,  finally,  the 
crankshaft  is  mounted  in  either  babbit  or  bronze  bear- 
ings. 

The  Inlet  and  Exhaust  Valves,  The  Timing  Gears 
and  the  Camshaft. —  To  the  crankshaft  is  keyed,  that 
is,  fixed,  a  small  timing  gear  and  this  meshes  with  a 
larger  timing  gear,  see  E,  that  is  keyed  to  the  cam- 
shaft F,  and  the  cams  on  the  latter  work  the  inlet 
valve  G  and  the  exhaust  valve  H  which  seat  in  the  valve 
openings  in  the  head  of  the  cylinder.     They  are  closed 


PAjuvjCo^S^t/je 


INLSr 
CARBUReTQR 


A   0105S  SECTION  OF  A  CVLINDEK  O     _  IVRIST  PIN 


aiNGS  AND  iVR/Sr  PIN 
-eSARlNC 


CeTffE  comscriNG. 


OiARIt 


fNL£T 
TlMINCCSAR 

CAMSHAFT 


F'rN£:  T/MING    GEARS   ON  CRANKSHAFT 
AND  CAMSHAFT 

Fig.  14.— The  Parts  of  a  One-Cylinder  T-Head  Engine 


39 


40     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 


F-rH£    CAMSHAFT 


G  &  H  'THE  iNLET AND  eXflAUST 
VALINES 


I  -  THE    CJ?ANK    CASE 

Fig.  14   (Cont.). —  The  Parts  of  a  One-Cylinder  T-Head 
Engine 


by  spiral  springs.  The  inlet  valve  opens  to  admit  the 
fuel  mixture,  and  the  exhaust  valve  opens  to  let  out  the 
burnt  gases. 

The  fuel  mixture  is  produced  by  a  carburetor  which 
mixes  the  gasoline,  kerosene  or  other  fuel  oil,  with 
the  right  amount  of  air  to  make  an  explosive  mixture 


SPA/iK  PLUC 
HeAO 


tXHAUSr 


CRANK^ 
SHAFT 


CRAAffCCASE 


CAAfAA^O 
CAM  SHAFT 


C£A/i$ 


Fig.   15. —  Cross   Section  of  a  Single  Cylinder  T-Head 

Engine 

(Shows  Intake  Stroke) 


42     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

of  it.  The  carburetor  is  connected  to  the  inlet  pipe 
which  leads  into  the  head  of  the  cylinder  and  it  will 
be  pictured  and  described  in  due  time.  The  spark- 
plug sets  in  the  head  of  the  cylinder  and  the  spark 
is  produced  at  the  precise  instant  it  is  needed  to  fire 
the  fuel  charge  ^  by  means  of  either  a  battery  or  by 
a  magneto;  these  ignition  devices  will  also  be  pictured 
and  described  further  on,  as  will  be  the  lubrication  and 
cooling  systems  of  the  engine. 

How  a  Single  Cylinder  Engine  Works. —  Know- 
ing now  what  the  parts  are  of  a  simple  internal  com- 
bustion engine  you  can  gather  from  Fig.  15  the  way 
they  are  assembled  and  the  next  thing  to  learn  about 
is  how  the  engine  works. 

First,  you  must  get  it  clearly  fixed  in  your  mind 
that,  different  from  a  steam  engine,  there  is  only  one 
power  stroke  in  every  four  strokes  of  the  piston  of  a 
tractor  engine,  that  is,  the  explosive  force  of  the  fuel 
charge  acts  on  the  piston  only  once  in  four  strokes  and, 
hence,  it  is  called  a  four  stroke  cycle  engine. 

The  Four  Strokes  of  the  Engine. —  These  four 
strokes  are  called  (i)  the  suction  stroke;  (2)  the  com- 
pression stroke;  (3)  the  power,  or  explosion  stroke  and 
(4)  the  exhaust  stroke,  all  of  which  are  represented 
diagrammatically  in  Fig.  16. 

The  Suction  Stroke. —  In  this  stroke  the  fuel  mix- 
ture is  sucked  into  the  cylinder  by  the  piston  as  it 
moves  down;  in  order  for  it  to  do  so,  of  course,  the 

1  After  the  fuel  mixture  is  compressed  in  the  cylinder  it  is 
called  the  fuel  charge. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR 


43 


inlet  valve  must  be  open  and  this  is  done  by  the  timing 
gears  turning  the  camshaft  round  so  that  the  high  edge 
of  the  cam  moves  up  and  pushes  the  valve  open.  It 
is  shown  at  A. 

The  Compression  Stroke. —  When  the  piston  begins 
to  move  up  on  its  compression  stroke  the  cam  on  the 
camshaft  has  turned  to  a  point  where  it  releases  its 
pressure  on  the  inlet  valve  rod  and  the  spiral  spring 


SUCTION  srnotcc       o    ^ygo^g:  ^        srfiOAC  ^-cxHAusr  smoicc 

Fig.  i6. —  Diagram  of  the  Four  Strokes  of  a  Single 
Cylinder  Engine 


on  it  closes  the  valve.  As  both  the  inlet  and  the 
exhaust  valve  are  closed  the  piston  compresses  the 
fuel  mixture  more  and  more  until  it  reaches  the  end 
of  its  up-stroke  when  an  explosive  fuel  charge  results. 
See  B. 

The  Power  Stroke. —  It  is  at  this  point  that  the 
timer  of  the  ignition  system,  which  is  also  worked  by 
the  camshaft,  closes  the  electric  circuit  and  this  makes 
a  jump-spark  take  place  between  the  points,  or 
electrodes  as  they  are  called,  of  the  spark-plug.  When 
the  spark  jumps  between  the  electrodes  it  fires  the 


44     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

fuel  charge  and  the  expanding  force  of  the  burning 
gases  drives  the  piston  down  and  this  gives  the  power 
stroke  as  pictured  at  C. 

The  Exhaust  Stroke. —  At  the  end  of  the  power 
stroke  the  exhaust  valve  is  opened  by  the  cam,  on  the 
camshaft,  and  as  the  piston  moves  up  on  its  exhaust 
stroke  it  pushes  the  burnt  gases  out  of  the  exhaust  pipe 
into  the  air  as  shown  at  D.  This  completes  the  cycle 
of  strokes  when  they  are  repeated  all  over  again. 

How  the  Inlet  and  Exhaust  Valves  are  Timed. — 
I  think  I  made  it  clear  above  how  the  cams  on  the  cam- 
shaft open  the  inlet  and  exhaust  valves  at  the  precise 
moment  necessary  and  how  they  are  closed  by  the 
spiral  springs  when  they  have  performed  their  re- 
spective functions. 

From  what  was  said  it  must  also  be  obvious  that 
for  every  complete  cycle,  that  is  four  successive  strokes 
of  the  piston,  the  crankshaft  makes  two  complete  revo- 
lutions while  the  camshaft  makes  only  one  revolution. 
To  get  this  result  the  gear  on  the  camshaft  has  twice 
the  number  of  teeth  on  it  that  the  gear  on  the  crank- 
shaft has,  or  to  put  it  another  way,  the  camshaft  gear 
and  the  crankshaft  gear  have  a  ratio  of  2  to  i,  so  that 
the  former  turns  only  half  as  fast  as  the  latter,  when, 
of  course,  the  valves  are  lifted  only  once  in  every  two 
revolutions  of  the  crankshaft. 

How  Multicylinder  Engines  Work. —  When  two 
or  more  cylinders  are  used  in  an  engine  and  their  pis- 
tons are  connected  to  the  same  crankshaft  it  is  called 
a  multicylinder  engine.       Multicylinders  are  used  for 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     45 


tractor  engines  to  ( i )  reduce  the  size  of  it  in  propor- 
tion to  the  power  produced;  (2)  to  increase  the  speed, 
and  (3)  to  make  the  engine  run  smoother. 

As  I  stated  under  the  last  heading  a  single  cyHnder 
engine  deHvers  i  power  stroke  to  every  2  revolutions 
of  the  crankshaft.  Now  with  a  two  cylinder  engine 
there  is  a  power  stroke  to  each  revolution  of  the  crank- 
shaft, while  with  a  four  cylinder  engine  there  is  a 


C0MP/i£S5/0A/ 


exHAUsr 
srROf<£ 

J. 


S£ARMC 


eBARlNG 


C/iAH/KSHAFT' 

Fig  17. —  Diagram  of  a  Four-Cylinder  Engine  Showing  How 
Pistons  Are  Connected  to  a  Single  Crankshaft 


power  stroke  to  every  half  revolution  of  the  crank- 
shaft when  the  power  developed  is  practically  con- 
tinuous like  that  of  a  steam  engine.  Fig.  ly  shows 
how  the  pistons  of  a  four  cylinder  engine  are  con- 
nected to  a  single  crankshaft. 

With  a  six  cylinder  engine  there  is  a  power  stroke 
to  every  one-third  revolution  of  the  crankshaft,  when 
the  power  strokes  overlap  each  other  and,  hence,  there 
is  no  break  in  the  continuity  of  the  turning  force,  or 


46     FARxM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

torque,  as  the  engineers  call  it,  and,  finally,  with  an 
eight  cylinder  engine  there  is  a  power  stroke  to  every 
one-fourth  revolution  of  the  crankshaft. 

The  Manifold  and  What  it  is  For. —  Where  an 
engine  has  two  or  more  cylinders  the  carburetor  is  con- 
nected with  the  inlet  valve  openings  and  the  exhaust 
valve  ports  lead  to  the  open  air  through  branched 
pipes  called  a  manifold.     It  is  shown  in  Fig.  i8. 


£XHAU^  T  MAWrOLD 


MA^tFOlD     ^m\  rr^^f^^^  ^^GO£S  HERB 

CA/tBUR£TOf< 

goes  here 
Fig.  i8.— The  Manifolds  of  a  Four-Cylinder  Engine 


How  the  Muffler  is  Made. —  When  the  exhaust 
gases  from  a  cylinder  discharge  directly  into  the  air 
they  make  a  report  which  sounds  like  that  of  a  pistol. 
This  is  caused  by  the  burnt  gases  which  are  under  a 
high  pressure  coming  in  contact  with  the  free  air  which 
is  under  a  lower  pressure.  To  get  rid  of  this  noise  a 
silencer,  called  a  muiRer,  is  used  on  some  tractors. 

There  are  numerous  makes  of  mufflers  on  the  mar- 
ket, but  all  of  them  work  on  the  principle  of  making 
the  exhaust  gases  flow  forth  and  back  through  a  num- 
ber of  tubes  or  around  a  spiral  which  reduces  the  pres- 
sure to  that  of  the  outside  air  when  they  are  discharged 
into  it. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    47 

How  the  Engine  is  Lubricated. —  Kinds  of 
Systems. —  In  all  engine  lubricating  systems  of  what- 
ever kind  the  oil  is  contained  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
crankcase,  or  a  sump  under  it,  or  is  fed  into  it  from 
a  supply  tank.  From  the  crankcase,  or  sump,  it  is 
either  ( i )  splashed  into  the  cylinders  and  on  the  bear- 
ings, (2)  splashed  into  the  cylinders  and  also  carried 
up  to  an  oil  pipe  through  which  it  flows  or  is  circu- 
lated to  the  bearings,  or  (3)  forced  by  a  pump  from 
the  sump  up  to  the  oil  pipe  through  which  it  flows 
to  the  bearings  when  it  is  thrown  by  the  connecting 
rods  into  the  cylinders,  or  (4)  each  bearing  is  oiled 
separately  by  a  little  pump  of  its  own  called  an  indi- 
vidual pump,  which  pumps  the  oil  from  a  tank  to  the 
bearing  that  is  to  be  lubricated. 

The  Splash  System. —  In  this  system  the  crank- 
case is  filled  with  oil  until  it  is  high  enough  to  cover 
the  dippers  on  the  ends  of  the  connecting  rods  when 
they  are  on  the  lower  dead  level,  or  splash  level,  as  it  is 
called.  As  the  dippers  strike  the  oil  they  splash  it  up 
into  the  cylinders  and  onto  the  bearings.  It  is  an  ex- 
ceedingly simple  lubricating  system  and  a  very  good  one 
as  well.     It  is  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  ip. 

The  Circulating  System. —  This  is  really  a  com- 
bined splash  and  circulating  system.  The  crankcase 
has  a  sump,  or  reservoir,  under  it  and  this  is  nearly 
filled  with  oil.  The  flywheel,  which  is  inclosed  in  the 
crankcase,  carries  the  oil  up  to  and  into  the  oil  pipe 
where  it  runs  down  into  troughs  that  are  cut  in  the 
floor  of  the  crankcase;  in  this  way  they  are  kept  full, 


48     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

the  excess  running  back  into  the  sump.     The  connect- 
ing rod  dippers  splash  the  oil  into  the  cylinders  and 


fH£  SfiLAS/1  5YSr£M 


M£5£/tyom 


Fig.  iqa. —  Kinds  of  Lubricating  Systems 

onto  the  bearings  as  in  the  splash  system  just  described. 
It  is  shown  at  B. 


rne  splash  cutcuLAriMc 
srsreM, 


X£S£Jf\/0//t 

Fig.  iqb.— -Kinds  of  Lubricating  Systems 


The  Force  Feed  System. —  In  this  system  the  oil  is 
pumped  up  from  the  sump,  by  an  oil  pump  when  it  is 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     49 

delivered  by  the  oil  pipe  to  the  bearings  of  the  crank- 
shaft, thence  on  through  a  hole,  or  duct,  in  it  and  the 
crankwebs  to  the  crankpins  on  which  are  coupled  the 
connecting  rods.  The  excess  oil  that  drops  off  of  the 
crankpins  is  thrown  by  the  ends  of  the  connecting  rods 
into  the  cylinders  and  this  lubricates  the  pistons  and 
the  wristpins.  This  is  the  next  best  lubricating  system 
that  has  yet  been  devised  and  it  is  shown  at  C. 


TH£  rO/tC£  F££D  SYST£M 


/!£S£RVO/f^ 

Fig,  19c. —  Kinds  of  Lubricating  Systems 


The  Individual  Pump,  Positive  Feed  System. — 
This  system  of  lubrication  gives  added  life  to  the  bear- 
ings because  it  supplies  fresh  oil  to  them  all  of  the  time, 
whereas  the  other  systems  use  the  same  oil  over  and 
over  again. 

The  apparatus  consists  of  a  steel  tank  that  contains 
the  oil  and  in  the  tank  are  as  many  small  pumps,  or 
individual  pumps  as  they  are  called,  as  there  are  bear- 
ings to  be  oiled.     The  pumps  are  driven  by  a  ratchet 


50     FARxM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

wheel  which  is  rotated  by  a  pawl  connected  to  an  ec- 
centric on  the  camshaft. 

A  sight  feed  measuring  device  shows  the  amount  of 
oil  that  is  being  used  while  a  measuring  plunger  per- 
mits the  amount  of  oil  that  flows  through  the  sight  feed 
to  be  varied  at  will.  The  oil  that  passes  through  the 
sight  feed  then  flows  to  the  pump  where  it  is  forced  to 
the  bearing  to  be  lubricated. 


D  'IND/VfDOAL  PUMP  POS/r/l^£  SrSTEM 

Fig.  19D. —  Kinds  of  Lubricating  Systems 

Kinds  of  Oil  Pumps. —  There  are  three  kinds  of 
oil  pumps  used  on  tractor  engines  and  these  are  (i) 
the  gear  pump,  (2)  the  plunger  pump  and  (3)  the 
individual  pump. 

The  Gear  Pump. —  In  this  pump  which  is  shown  at 
A  in  Fig.  20,  the  oil  is  carried  up  by  the  teeth  of  the 
gears.  It  is  a  very  efficient  type  of  pump  and  cannot 
be  excelled  for  positive  action. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     51 

The  Plunger  Pump. —  This  type  is  a  piston  pump 
made  like  those  for  pumping  water.  It  is  worked  by 
an  eccentric  connected  on  the  camshaft  of  the  engine, 
and  as  shown  at  B. 

The  Individual  Positive  Feed  Pump. —  There  are 
two  kinds  of  individual  pumps  used  for  positive  feed 


ourcer 


If"-' 

A-  <^eA/{  PUMP 


^j.-^* 


B  'PLUNGER  FUMP 

Fig.  20A,  B. —  Kinds  of  Oil  Pumps 


lubricators  and  these  are  (i)  those  that  have  valves, 
and  (2)  those  that  are  valveless. 

The  disadvantage  of  valve  pumps  is  that  foreign 
matter  is  apt  to  settle  on  the  valve  seat  when  the  pump 
will  not  deliver  the  oil.  Valveless  pumps  are  largely 
used  for  tractor  lubrication  as  the  lubrication  is  posi- 
tive in  even  the  coldest  weather.  A  Madison-Kipp 
individual  valveless  pump  is  shown  at  C. 


52     FARxM  AND  GARDEN  T1\ACT0RS 


PISTON  VALViS 
C  -TM£  /NOIV/DUAI.  rO/iC£  re£D  PUMP 

Fig.  20C. —  Kinds  of  Oil  Pumps 

How  the  Engine  is  Cooled. —  There  are  two 
fundamental  schemes  used  for  cooling  the  cylinders 
of  tractor  engines  and  these  are  by  ( i )  the  air  cir- 
culating system  and  (2)  the  liquid  circulating  system, 
and,  then,  (3)  cooling  fans  are  also  used  in  combina- 
tion with  both  systems. 

Air  Cooled  Engines. —  Where  the  engine  is  cooled 
by  air  the  cylinders  have  radial  ribs  on  them  as  shown 
at  A,  in  Fig.  21,  and  around  these  sets  a  jacket.  The 
air  is  made  to  flow  from  the  top  of  the  cylinders, 
over  them  between  the  radial  ribs  and  out  through 
the  bottom  by  means  of  either  (a)  a  suction  fan  fitted 
to  the  fly  wheel;  (b)  the  suction  of  the  exhaust  from 
the  engine,  or  (c)  by  a  centrifugal  blower. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    53 


^^J^ftrt-^T-tcS^^^  C/Z //V/7i--^ 


JACKET-* 


A 

Affi  COOL£/>  CrUAlDER 

Fig.  2IA. —  Kinds  of  Cooling  Systems 


HOPPER    \ 


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B 

THERMO  'SiPHON  SYSTEM  V\//rH  HOPPER 

Fig.  21B. —  Kinds  of  Cooling   Systems 


54     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

Water  and  Oil  Cooled  Engines. —  Whether  water  or 
oil  is  used  as  the  liquid  for  cooling  the  engine  the 
cylinders  are  jacketed,  and  the  circulating  channel  thus 
formed  is  connected  to  either  (a)  a  hopper,  which 
is  simply  a  big  steel  tank  that  holds  the  water  or  oil, 
or  to  (b)  a  radiator  which  cools  the  liquid  after  it 
is  heated  by  contact  with  the  cylinders.  A  hopper 
cooled  cylinder  is  shown  at  B  in  Fig.  21. 


TH£  IND/VIDUAL  CELLULAR  7U8£5 


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Z-A  FEDD5RS  CELLULAR  RADIATOR. 
Fig.  22. —  Kinds  of  Radiators 


The  Radiator. —  Radiators  are  specially  built  to  cool 
the  water  or  oil  rapidly.  There  are  two  kinds  and 
these  are  (i)  the  tubular  radiator,  and  (2)  the 
cellular  radiator.  In  the  tubular  radiator  the  water 
or  oil  circulates  between  a  large  number  of  short  pipes 
through  which  the  air  passes  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig. 
22,  while  in  the  cellular  radiator,  see  B,  the  water, 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    55 

or  oil  flows  through  the  tubes  and  the  air  blows  be- 
tween them. 

Kinds  of  Liquid  Cooling  Schemes. —  There  are 
two  ways  by  which  the  water  or  oil  is  made  to  circu- 
late around  the  cylinders  and  through  the  radiator  and 
these  are  (i)  by  the  thermo-siphon  system  and  (2) 
by  the  pump  circulating  system. 

The  Thermo-Siphon  System. —  This  is  the  simplest 


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^'T^eRMO'S/PHON  SYSTEM  WiTfi 
RAD/ATOR 

Fig.  23A. —  Kinds  of  Liquid  Cooling  Systems 


scheme  for  cooling  the  engine  by  means  of  a  liquid. 
The  hopper,  or  radiator,  is  connected  to  the  jacketed 
cylinders  at  the  top  and  bottom  and  the  interior  space 
of  both  is  filled  with  water  or  oil. 

The  principle  on  which  the  thermo-siphon  system 
works  is  this :  when  a  liquid  gets  hot  it  becomes  lighter 
and  rises  to  the  surface,  and  conversely  the  cold 
liquid  drops  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  by  virtue  of 
its  being  heavier.  Hence,  when  the  liquid  around  the 
cylinder  becomes  sufficiently  heated  it  rises  to  the  top 
and  passes  into  the  radiator  where  it  is  cooled ;  it  then 


56     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

drops  down  and  flows  into  the  jacketed  cylinders 
where  it  absorbs  the  heat  and  rises  again.  The  scheme 
is  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  2j. 


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Fig.  23B. —  Kinds  of  Liquid  Cooling  Systems 


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C-rH£  SYLPHON  TEMPERATURE 
REGULATOR 

Fig.  23c. —  Kinds  of  Liquid  Cooling  Systems 

The  Pump  Circulating  System. —  In  this  system  the 
radiator  is  connected  with  the  jacketed  cylinders  in 
exactly  the  same  fashion  as  they  are  in  the  thermo- 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR 


57 


siphon  system,  but  there  is  coupled  in  the  lower  pipe 
a  pump  to  keep  the  liquid  in  circulation  regardless  of 
its  temperature.     See  B. 

The  syphon  regulator  is  a  device  that  shuts  off  the 
circulation  of  the  water  until  a  temperature  of  i6o  to 
1 80  degrees  is  attained  and  this  is  quite  necessary  when 
burning  kerosene.     This  regulator  is  automatic  in  its 


tv^r£/^ 


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CENTR/FUCAL     />UMP 

Fig.  24. —  Kinds  of  Engine  Pumps 


operation  and  prevents  such  kerosene  which  may  be 
unburned  from  getting  into  the  crank  case. 

Kinds  of  Circulating  Pumps. —  There  are  three 
kinds  of  pumps  used  in  the  pump  circulating  system, 
and  these  are,  (i)  the  rotary  pump;  (2)  the  centri- 
fugal pump,  and  ( 3 )  the  plunger  pump. 

The  first  two  pumps  named  above  have  rotating 
elements  and  these  are  turned  by  the  pump-shaft  which 
is  geared  to  the  crankshaft.     The  rotary  pump  is  a 


58     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

gear  pump  and  is  made  like  the  oil  gear  pump  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  20.  The  centrifugal  pump  has  an  im- 
peller and  is  shown  in  Fig.  24,  while  the  plunger  pump 


0-C^OS5  S£Cr/ON  OF 
A  dALL-B FARING  FAN 


Fig.  25. —  The  Radiator  Cooling  Fan 

is  made  like  the  plunger  pump  shown  at  B  in  Fig.  20. 

The   Radiator    Cooling   Fan. —  Where    a    radiator 

system  is  used  a  fan  of  the  radial  type  is  needed  to 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     59 

pull  the  air  from  the  outside  through  the  radiator  in 
order  to  cool  the  liquid  therein  faster.  The  fan  is  in- 
stalled back  of  the  radiator  and  is  driven  by  the  crank- 
shaft through  either  (i)  a  belt;  (2)  a  chain,  or  (3) 
by  gears.  With  a  belt  driven  fan  there  is  liable  to 
be  some  slippage  though  the  extent  of  it  is  largely 
a  matter  of  the  kind  and  width  of  the  belt.  A  radiator 
fan  is  shown  in  Fig.  25. 


,nLL£/i 


a  -  c^awty  fuel  feed  system 
Fig.  26a. —  Fuel  Feed  Systems 


How  the  Engine  is  Fed  with  Fuel. —  To  com- 
plete the  engine  two  other  auxiliary,  but  very  neces- 
sary, devices  must  be  attached  to  it  and  these  are  (^4) 
the  jiiel  system,  and  (B)  the  ignition  system.  To  sup- 
ply the  engine  with  fuel  there  must  be  (i)  a  tank  to 
contain  the  gasoline,  kerosene,  or  other  fuel  oil,  and 
(2)  the  carburetor  which  measures  out  the  fuel,  forms 
a  spray  of  it  and  mixes  it  with  enough  air  to  make 


6o     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

an  explosive  fuel  mixture  which  is  then  drawn  into  the 
cylinders. 

About  the  Fuel  Feed  System. —  The  purpose  of  the 
fuel  feed  system  is  to  keep  the  carburetor  supplied 
with  liquid  fuel  from  the  tank.     There  are  three  kinds 


TO  /NTAKE 

MAN/fOLO 


Fig.  26b. —  Fuel  Feed  Systems 


of  fuel  feed  systems  used  on  tractor  engines  and  these 
are  (i)  the  gravity  feed  system,  (2)  the  vacuum  feed 
system  and  (3)  the  air  pressure  feed  system. 

The  Gravity  System. —  This  is  the  simplest  kind  of 
a  feed,  the  fuel  flowing  from  the  tank  into  the  car- 
buretor by  gravity  since  the  latter  device  is  below  the 
level  of  the  former  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  26. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     61 

The  Vacuum  System. —  The  fuel  tank  in  this  case 
can  set  below  the  level  of  the  carburetor  as  shown  at 
B.  Between  the  supply  tank  and  the  carburetor  is  a 
small  fuel  tank  and  this  is  connected  with  the  inlet 
manifold  of  the  engine. 

On  the  tank  there  is  a  float  and  valve  feed  which  is 
very  like  that  of  a  carburetor,  to  be  described  further 


A/R  PMSSURE- 
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Fig.  26c. —  Fuel  Feed  Systems 


on,  and  when  the  intake  stroke  takes  place  it  pulls 
the  air  out  of  the  small  feed  tank  and  so  forms  a 
vacuum.  The  pressure  of  the  air  on  the  fuel  in  the 
supply  tank  then  pushes  it  into  the  vacuum  tank. 
When  the  latter  has  a  pint  or  so  of  fuel  in  it  the  suc- 
tion valve  is  automatically  closed  by  the  float  and 
valve  and  no  more  can  be  drawn  in  until  it  is  used 


up. 


The  vacuum  tank  is  connected  with  the  carburetor 


62     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

and  the  fuel  flows  from  the  former  into  the  latter  by 
gravity  as  in  the  gravity  system. 

The  Air  Pressure  System. —  Likewise  in  the  air 
pressure  system  the  gasoline  tank  can  set  lower  than 
the  carburetor,  a  small  rotary  air  pump,  or  compressor, 
as  it  is  called,  driven  by  the  camshaft  of  the  engine, 
is  installed  at  one  end  of  a  pipe  that  leads  to  the 
supply  tank  and  this  compresses  the  air  in  the  latter 
until  from  i  to  4  pounds  pressure  is  had  when  the 
liquid  fuel  is  forced  through  the  feed  pipe  and  into 
the  carburetor.  A  hand  operated  air  pump  must  be 
used  when  there  is  no  pressure  in  the  supply  tank 
and  the  power  pressure  pump  is  not  working.  A  com- 
pressed air  gauge  in  the  air-pipe  line  shows  the 
pressure  of  the  air  in  the  tank.  The  system  is  shown 
at  C. 

What  the  Carburetor  is  For. —  The  carburetor  is 
a  device  that  is  used  to  break  up  the  liquid  fuel  into 
fine  particles  and  to  mix  the  latter  with  air  in  the  right 
proportion  to  form  an  explosive  fuel  mixture. 

This  is  done  by  forcing  the  fuel  oil  from  a  nozzle 
into  a  stream  of  air  which  makes  a  spray  of  it  as  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  2/.  The  constriction  in  the  intake  air 
tube  at  the  point  where  the  fuel  oil  jet,  that  is  where 
the  fuel  oil  leaves  the  nozzle  is  called,  gives  the  air  a 
higher  pressure,  and  hence  velocity,  and  this  is  known 
as  a  Venturi  tube. 

How  the  Carburetor  is  Made. —  To  keep  the  fuel  oil 
from  flowing  all  of  the  time  into  the  carburetor  and  to 
gauge  the  amount  that  shall  be  used  by  the  engine,  a 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     63 

Hoat  valve  is  employed  which  automatically  opens  and 
closes  the  pipe  that  leads  to  the  supply  tank. 

A  carburetor  consists  of  three  chief  parts  and  these 
are  (i)  a  Hoat  chamber;  (2)  a  Uoat,  and  (3)  a  needle 
valve.  The  float  is  formed  of  a  hollow  metal  shell 
whose  diameter  is  about  the  same  as  the  inside  diameter 
of  the  float  chamber.     The  needle  valve  is  fixed  to 


f^^HOtV  THE  CARBUR£TX>R  i^/ORKS 

Fig.  27 a. —  The  Principles  of  the  Carburetor 


the  top  of  the  float  and  the  latter  is  then  set  in  the 
chamber. 

How  the  Carburetor  Works. —  It  must  be  clear  now 
that  when  there  is  no  fuel  oil  in  the  chamber  the  float 
will  rest  on  the  bottom  of  it  and  the  valve  will  re- 
main open.  The  fuel  oil  from  the  supply  tank  can 
now  flow  into  it  and  as  it  does  so  the  float  rises  until 
it  closes  the  valve  when  the  supply  is  shut  off. 


64     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

As  the  engine  draws  in  the  fuel  mixture  the  level 
of  the  fuel  falls  on  the  suction  stroke  and,  of  course, 
the  float  with  it  which  opens  the  valve  and  lets  more 
fuel  run  into  the  chamber.  In  this  way  the  right 
amount  is  at  all  times  supplied  to  the  nozzle  and  this 
is  determined  by  the  throttle  lever  which  controls  the 


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^'C/ioss  secr/oA/  of  a  complete  carburetor 

Fig.  27B. —  The  Principles  of  the  Carburetor 


throttle,  or  butterfly,  valve  in  the  lower  end  of  the  in- 
let pipe  leading  to  the  cylinders. 

In  tractor  engine  carburetors,  as  well  as  those  used 
on  motor  cars  and  motor  trucks,  there  is  also  an  auto- 
matic air  valve  which  opens  into  the  mixing  chamber 
as  shown  at  B  in  Fig.  2/.  This  extra  air  valve  sup- 
plies more  air  to  the  fuel  mixture  when  it  needs  more 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     65 

air  than  it  is  getting  from  the  main  air  inlet.     It  is 
opened  by  the  pressure  of  the  air  on  the  outside  of 


C-C^OSS  S£C770NOF  HOCLCY' CARBURETOR  WirM 
VAPORIZER  FOR  HEAVY  Of L  FUELS 

Fig.  27c. —  The  Construction  of  a  Carburetor 


0  •THe.  HOLLEY  CARBURETOR  WtTH  VAPOMZER 

^  COMPLETE 

Fig.  27c. —  The  Principles  of  the  Carburetor 


the  valve  and  closed  by  a  spiral  spring.     In  this  way 
a  rich  ^  or  a  lean  ^  fuel  mixture  can  be  obtained.     A 

1  A  rich  mixture  is  one  in  which  there  is  very  little  air  mixed 
with  the  fuel  oil,  and  a  lean  mixture  is  one  in  which  there  is  a 
large  amount  of  air  mixed  with  the  fuel  oil. 


66     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

cross  section  of  a  Holley  carburetor  is  shown  at  C  in 
Fig.  21,  and  the  carburetor  complete  at  D. 

Vaporizing  the  Fuel  Mixture. —  A  carburetor 
will  vaporize  gasoline  sufficiently  to  form  a  good  fuel 
mixture  before  it  is  taken  into  the  cylinders  but  kero- 
sene and  heavy  oils  must  be  further  vaporized  by  a- 
high  temperature  before  they  are  drawn  into  the 
cylinders. 


t  •  TUB  STBV^ART  MEAVr  OfL  FUEL  SVSTEM 

Fig.  27E. —  The  Principles  of  the  Carburetx>r 

The  chief  scheme  for  doing  this  is  to  use  the  heat 
of  the  exhaust  gases  to  ( i )  heat  the  air  before  it  is  ad- 
mitted into  the  carburetor;  (2)  to  heat  the  juel  oil  be- 
fore it  flows  into  the  carburetor;  (3)  to  heat  the  mix- 
ing chamber  of  the  carburetor  while  the  fuel  mixture 
is  in  the  process  of  forming,  and  (4)  to  heat  the  in- 
take manifold  through  which  the  fuel  mixture  passes 
before  going  into  the  cylinders.  Two  of  these  vapor- 
izing schemes  are  shown  at  E  and  F  in  Fig.  2^. 

Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners. —  The  greatest  enemy  of 
the  tractor  engine  is  dust  and  sand  which  wear  out  the 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     67 

piston  and  rings,  scores  the  walls  of  cylinders  and  pits 
the  valves.  The  dust  and  sand  get  into  the  cylinders 
through  the  carburetor  air  intake  unless  it  is  fitted 
with  an  air  cleaner.  Now  there  are  two  kinds  of  air 
cleaners  and  these  are  (i)  dry  air  cleaners  and  (2) 
water  air  cleaners. 


MASOU 
JAR 


A- A  MANTOM  VOW  or  A  Be^NtTT 
CAMUtterOX  AJR  CLSAMBR 

Fig.  28a. —  Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners 

(How  the  Dry  Air  Cleaner  Is 

Made  and  Works) 

The  Bennett  dry  air  cleaner,  see  A  and  B,  Fig.  28, 
shows  how  it  is  made  and  the  way  it  works  is  like  this : 
The  air  is  drawn  by  the  suction  stroke  of  the  motor 
through  the  openings  in  the  sides  of  the  cleaner  and 
into  the  spiral  tubes.  These  tubes  slant  downward 
and  give  the  dust  laden  air  a  whirling  motion  so  that 
the  dust  is  thrown  out  by  centrifugal  force  when  it 


68     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

drops  down  into  the  Mason  jar  while  the  clean  air  is 
drawn  up  and  into  the  carburetor. 

In  the  zcater  air  cleaner  shown  at  C  the  dust  laden 
air  is  drawn  by  the  suction  stroke  of  the  engine  through 
the  water  from  the  bottom ;  the  dust  is  absorbed  by  the 
water  while  the  cleaned  air  passes  on  through  it  into 
the  carburetor. 


rO    /NLET  MANIFOLD 


6  'A  6£A/A/£:rr  a/m  cleane/^  attach eo 

ro    r/iS    CARaUR£TO/i 

Fig.  28b. —  Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners 
(The  Bennett  Dry  Air  Cleaner  Complete) 


The  Electric  Ignition  System. —  There  is  only  one 

fundamental  scheme  used  for  firing  the  fuel  charges 
of  a  tractor  engine  and  this  is  by  electricity.  There 
are,  however,  two  kinds  of  electric  apparatus,  or  igni- 
tion systems  as  they  are  called,  employed  and  these 
are  ( i )  the  battery  system  and  (2)  the  magneto  system. 
What    the    Battery    System    Is.— The    battery 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    69 

system,  or  battery  and  circuit  breaker  system,  as  it  is 
technically  known,  consists  of  (i)  a  storage  battery, 
(2)  a  switch,  (3)  a  spark  coil,  or  ignition  coil,  as  it  is 


Fig.  28c.— Kinds  of  Air  Cleaners 

(How  the  Water  Air  Cleaner  Is  Made 

and  Works) 

called,  (4)  a  circuit  breaker,  or  interrupt  or,  (5)  a 
distributor  which  is  also  a  timer  and  (6)  a  spark  plug 
for  each  cylinder  to  be  fired. 


70     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Storage  Battery. —  The  storage  battery,  see  A, 
Fig.  2p,  which  is  used  to  supply  the  electric  current, 
delivers  a  large  constant  current  until  it  is  exhausted 
when  it  must  be  recharged  by  a  direct  current  from 
either  (a)  an  electric  generator  driven  by  the  tractor 


CO/^A/ECTORS 


'ARS 


A  'THE  5TORA  G£  aATTERY,  SHOW/NQ  OA/S 
CROUP  OF  ELEMENTS  PARTLy  REMOl/ED 

Fig.  29A. —  The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System 

engine,  or  (&)  by  a  current  from  a  house  lighting  cir- 
cuit. Usually  an  auxiliary  battery  of  dry  cells  can 
be  switched  in  so  that  in  case  the  storage  battery  runs 
down  you  can  still  operate  the  ignition  system. 

The  Circuit  Breaker  and  Condenser. —  The  circuit 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    71 

breaker,  or  interrupter,  shown  at  5  is  a  mechanical 
device  that  makes  and  breaks  the  battery  circuit.  It 
consists  of  a  cam  fixed  to  a  shaft  driven  by  the  cam- 


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Fig.  29B.^The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System 

shaft  of  the  engine,  and  as  this  rotates  it  presses  a 
movable  contact  point  against  a  fixed  contact  point  and 
so  makes  the  circuit,  that  is,  it  closes  it.  As  the  comer 
of  the  cam  slips  by  the  movable  contact  point  the  latter 


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(6)  THE  IGNITION  CO/C  COMRLEVe 
C  -  H0\^  THE    fGNttlOfr  CO/i.  /S  MADE  AND  IVO^S 


Fig.  29c. —  The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System 


is  pullea  back  by  a  spring  and  the  current  is  broken. 
The  condenser  is  built  up  of  alternate  leaves  of  tin- 
foil and  waxed  paper,  and  is  shunted  around  the  con- 


72      FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

tact  points  to  take  up  the  current  when  they  break 
apart  and  this  prevents  it  from  arcing  across  them. 

The  Ignition  Coil. —  The  spark-coil,  or  ignition  coil, 
see  C,  is  built  up  of  a  core  of  soft  iron  around  which 
is  wound  a  couple  of  layers  of  thick  insulated  copper 
wire  and  this  forms  (a)  the  primary  or  lozv  tension 
coil;  around  the  primary  coil,  but  insulated  from  it  is 
wound  a  large  number  of  turns  of  very  fine  wire  and 
this  forms  (b)  the  secondary  or  high  tension  coil. 


ro  rtfe  spA/f/r 


-  DisrfifBuroft 

ARM    CONTACT 


me  McrAL 

DISTKIBUTOH 
A/tM 


(6)r/f£  o/srR/BuroR  a  am  in  the 

/iOTAT/NG  /NSULATSO  OISN 


tO-iTMe.   STATI ON AfiV  CONTACT  POINTS 

SCT  iM  rne  insulatco  o/sr/i/eurofK  ft  Are 


D  -MOV\/  THE  OtSr/e/BUrOR  /S  Af^i^e  AnrO  V^ORKS 

Fig.  29D. —  The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System 

The  Distributor. —  This  device  not  only  distributes 
the  high  tension  current  that  is  set  up  by  the  ignition 
coil  to  the  spark-plugs  but  it  times  the  current  as 
well  so  that  it  is  split  up  and  delivered  to  each  spark- 
plug at  precisely  the  instant  it  is  needed  to  fire  the  fuel 
charge. 

The  timer  or  distributor  is  formed  of  a  revolving 
contact  arm  fixed  to  the  camshaft  which  carries  the 
cam  of  the  circuit  breaker  and  hence  it  rotates  with  it. 
Around  the  contact  arm,  at  equidistant  points,  are  fixed 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     73 

on  the  distributor  block  as  many  stationary  contact 
points  as  there  are  cylinders  to  be  fired  and,  hence,  in 
passing  over  these  points  it  makes  contact  successively 
with  them  and  so  closes  the  circuit.  The  distributor 
is  shown  at  D,  and  the  whole  ignition  head  is  shown 
at  £. 


rO  SPAKK  PLU6S, 

^ 

roH/cff, 

-.^  TENS  f  Off 
'■T£fiM/MAL 

aJ 

gpSMl 

.  tCNir/OM 

1"" 

INTCfiRUPTOK  AffO 
'-DtSTR/eUTOR  SMAFf 


THB  fGNiriON  MEAD  OF  A  OPCUIT 
BRCAKER  SYSTiM 


Fig.  29E. —  The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System 

The  spark  Plugs. —  This  simple  but  all  important 
piece  of  apparatus  is  formed  of  a  metal  plug  body  in 
which  there  is  placed  a  porcelain,  steatite  ^  or  mica,  in- 
sulator and  this  is  held  fast  by  a  metal  bushing.  Ce- 
mented in  the  insulator  is  a  metal  electrode  with  a 


1  Steatite  is  soapstone. 


74     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

binding  post  nut  screwed  to  the  top  and  whose  lower 
end  projects  beyond  the  plug  body,  while  the  second 
electrode  is  fixed  to  the  lower  end  of  the  plug  body. 
The  points  of  these  two  electrodes  are  separated  %2  of 
an  inch  or  less  and  it  is  across  this  air-gap  that  the 
spark  jumps.     A  spark-plug  is  shown  at  F. 


fNSULATOH 


USHIHC 


CENTRAL 
"ELeCTROPC 


<:OMPL£T£ 


SHELL  ELECrpOOe 


f '  HOiV  THB  SPARK  PLUG  tS  MADE 

Fig.  29F. —  The  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  Ignition  System 


Why  the  Ignition  System  is  Grounded. —  Now,  be- 
fore I  describe  how  the  battery  and  circuit  breaker 
system  works  you  must  know  how  and  why  it  is 
grounded.  To  ground  a  system  means  simply  that  the 
circuits  have  only  one  wire  leads,  the  return  circuits 
being  formed  by  the  engine  itself.  This  not  only  does 
away  with  the  return  wires  that  would  be  needed 
where  an  all  wire  circuit  is  used  but  it  reduces  the 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     75 


number  of  connections  and  this  greatly  lessens  the 
possibility  of  trouble. 

How  the  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker  System 
Works. —  If  you  will  look  at  the  wiring  diagram 
shown  in  Fig.  jo,  you  will  get  an  idea  of  how  the 
system  works.  Wherever  the  wires  end  that  are 
marked  ground  you  will  know  they  are  fastened  to  the 


COMTACT 


BJfEAKeH 

Fig.  30. —  Wiring  Diagram  of  the  Battery  and  Circuit  Breaker 

System 


body  of  the  engine.     This  is  the  reason  one  of  the 
electrodes. of  the  spark-plug  is  fixed  to  the  plug  body. 

Let's  suppose,  now,  the  engine  is  running;  every 
time  the  corner  of  the  cam,  which  is  rotated  by  the 
camshaft,  strikes  the  movable  contact  point  of  the  in- 
terruptor,  or  circuit  breaker,  it  completes  the  primary 
circuit,  which  is  shown  by  the  heavy  lines,  and  a  large 


76     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

current  from  the  storage  battery  flows  for  the  instant 
through  the  primary  coil  of  the  ignition  coil. 

This  low-pressure  momentary  current  in  the  primary 
coil  sets  up  a  high  tension  current  in  the  secondary 
coil  whose  pressure,  or  voltage,  as  it  is  called,  is  high 
enough  to  break  down  an  air-gap  Vs  inch  long  and 
this  makes  a  good,  hot  spark.  This  high  tension  cur- 
rent flows  over  to  the  rotating  contact  arm  of  the  dis- 
tributor and  as  the  edge  of  the  arm  makes  contact 
successively  with  the  stationary  contact  points  it  closes 
the  high  tension  circuit  and  a  spark  takes  place  at  the 
business  end  of  the  spark-plug. 

What  the  Magneto  System  Is. —  Different  from 
the  battery  and  circuit  breaker  system  described  above 
the  magneto  ignition  system  employs  a  magneto,  that 
is  a  machine  which  generates  a  current  like  a  dynamo 
and  this  is  run  by  the  pump  shaft  or  cam  shaft  of  the 
engine.  This  system  includes  six  distinct  parts, 
namely,  (i)  sl  magneto,  (2)  a,n  interrupt  or,  (3)  a  con- 
denser, (4)  an  ignition  coil,  (5)  a  distributor,  and  (6) 
the  spark-plugs. 

In  all  magneto  systems  the  interruptor  with  its  con- 
denser is  mounted  on  the  shaft  of  the  rotating  ele- 
ment; the  ignition  coil  is  either  wound  separately  and 
mounted  in  the  arch  of  the  inverted  U-magnet  or  else  it 
is  wound  directly  on  the  rotating  element,  while  the 
distributor  is  geared  to  the  armature  shaft  thus  mak- 
ing a  single  piece  of  apparatus  of  the  whole  system 
with  the  exception  of  the  wiring  and  the  spark-plugs. 

Kinds  of  Magnetos. —  There  are  two  distinct  types 


I 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     77 

of  magnetos  used  for  traction  engine  ignition  and 
these  are  (i)  the  low  tension  magneto  and  (2)  the 
high  tension  magneto.  Further,  there  are  two  kinds 
of  low  tension  magnetos,  to  wit,  {A)  the  inductor  mag- 
neto, and  {B)  the  armature  magneto,  and  the  differ- 
ences in  these  types  and  kinds  will  be  described  as  we  go 
along.  In  a  magneto  of  whatever  type  or  kind  there 
are  two  chief  parts  and  these  are  (a)  a  permanent 
U-magnet,  and  (b)  a  revolving  element  which  rotates 
between  its  poles. 

The  Low  Tension  Inductor  Magneto. —  In  this 
kind  of  magneto  two  pieces  of  iron,  or  inductors ^  as 


A  -  THE  ROTOR 
Fig.  31A. —  The  Parts  of  the  Remy  Inductor 

the}  are  called,  are  oppositely  disposed  on  a  shaft  as 
shown  at  A  in  Fig.  JJ,  and  this  forms  the  revolving 
element,  or  rotor,  to  give  it  its  right  name.  This  rotor 
rotates  between  the  poles  of  the  U-magnet,  see  B,  and, 
hence  its  name. 

The  ignition  coil  is  built  up  of  a  primary  coil  of 
thick  insulated  wire  and  a  secondary  coil  of  fine  wire; 
these  coils  are  mounted  side  by  side  as  shown  at  C, 


78     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

and  are  placed  on  the  shaft  of  the  rotor  between  the 
iron  inductors,  or  wings.     One  end  of  the  primary 


O 


r/f£  MAC  NET 

Fig.  31B. —  The  Parts  of  the  Remy  Inductor 

coil   is   grounded  to   the  magnet,   which   in   turn   is 
grounded  to  the  engine,  and  the  other  end  leads  to  the 


Fig.  31C. 


THE  CO/ L 

The  Parts  of  the  Remy  Inductor 


interruptor;  one  end  of  the  secondary  coil  is  grounded 
and  the  other  end  leads  to  the  rotating  contact  arm  of 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    79 

the  distributor  exactly  as  in  the  battery  circuit  breaker 
system  which  I  have  previously  described.  An  in- 
ductor magneto  complete  is  shown  at  D. 


\^,'fiOTPJiWirHQ0lL 

Fig.   31D. —  The   Parts  of  the 
Remy  Inductor 


How  the  Inductor  Magneto  System  Works. — 
When  the  rotor  revolves  in  the  magnetic  field  of 
the  permanent  steel  magnet  it  causes  the  magnetic 
lines  of  force  that  flow  through  the  rotor  shaft  to 


NOKTft  POLE  OrMACNCt 

m. 


SHAfT 


W*NC 


!'♦ 


WING 


MOJtrH  ^OLE  OTMACNET 
7^ 


SHAFT 


WINC 


COIL 


t¥fMC 


SOUTH  POLE  OPMAGMET 
ICUJFIRZT    POSiTtOH 


SOUrH  POLE  OF  MAGNET 
(6jS£COA/D  POSITION 

SROKEN  LfNES  SHOW  DIRECTION  or 
AfACA/EriC    LINES   OF  FORCE 

Fig.  31E.—  How  the  Remy  Inductor  Works 


8o     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

change  their  direction  twice  every  time  it  makes  one 
complete  revolution. 

This  sets  up  tv^o  electric  currents  in  opposite  direc- 
tions in  the  primary  of  the  ignition  coil  and  when  each 
current  reaches  its  greatest  strength  the  interruptor  sud- 
denly breaks  it  and  this  sets  up  a  high  tension  cur- 
rent in  the  secondary  coil.     These  reversals  of  the  lines 


SrATfOA/ARY      COIL. 
Setween  rotor  \A//A/GS 

t ^ N 


CO 


^^ 


^ 


% 


DISTRlBUTO/t 

X 


t  PARH  ■        P,  MC, 


G^0OA/0£0        TO         CNCIf^E 


Fig.  32. —  Wiring  Diagram  of  a  Remy  Inductor 
Magneto  Ignition  System 


of  force  are  shown  diagrammatically  at  E  in  Fig.  Ji. 
The  high  tension  current  is  then  led  to  the  rotating  arm 
of  the  distributor  which  carries  it  to  the  spark-plugs  of 
the  engine,  just  as  I  have  described  in  the  battery  and 
circuit  breaker  system.  A  wiring  diagram  of  the  in- 
ductor magneto  system  is  shown  in  Fig.  ^2. 

The  Low  Tension  Armature  Magneto. —  The  ro- 
tating element  of  a  low  tension  armature  magneto 
is  made  of  a  core  formed  of  a  cylindrical  piece  of  iron 
slotted  lengthwise,  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  jj,  and  on 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     81 

this  a  coil  of  insulated  wire  is  wound,  when  an  arma- 
ture results. 

One  end  of  the  wire  is  grounded  to  the  core,  and, 
hence,  to  the  body  of  the  engine,  and  the  other  end 
is  connected  to  a  collector  ring  which  is  mounted  on 
but   insulated    from   the  armature   shaft.     A   carbon 


^.'r/f£r/£iD  MAGA/er 


PEAMANENT 
V^  STEEL 
>nl  MAGNETS 


POLE 
PIECES 


C'THE  LOlVTENS/OJ^ 
MAGNETO 


RUSHES 


n  y^  /^'THE  AfiMATUIfS 
SLOTTED  iRON  CORE 


aASE 


Fig.  33 a,  b,  c. —  Parts  of  the  Low  Tension  Magneto 


brush  presses  on  the  ring  and  takes  off  the  currents 
as  they  are  set  up  in  the  armature  coil  which  rotates 
between  the  poles  of  a  permanent  U-magnet,  see  B, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  inductor  magneto.  The  low  ten- 
sion armature  magneto  is  shown  schematically  at  C, 
and  complete  at  D. 

The  carbon  brush  is  connected  with  the  primary  coil 
of  an  ignition  coil  and  the  other  end  of  the  ignition 
coil  is  grounded;  one  end  of  the  secondary  or  high  ten- 


82      FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

sion  coil  is  grounded  and  the  other  end  is  connected 
with  the  rotating  arm  of  the  distributor.  The  sta- 
tionary contact  points  are  connected  with  the  spark- 
plugs just  as  in  the  battery  and  circuit  breaker  system 
and  in  the  inductor  magneto  system. 


D  -LOIV  TENS/ON  ARMATURE 
MAGNETO 

Fig.  33D. —  Low  Tension  Complete  Magneto 

How  the  Low  Tension  Armature  Magneto 
System  Works. —  When  the  armature  revolves  in  the 
magnetic  field  between  the  poles  of  the  magnet  the 
wires  of  the  coil  cut  the  magnetic  lines  of  force  which 
flow  from  the  north  pole  to  the  south  pole  and  these 
are  changed  into  electric  currents.  As  the  wires  on 
the  armature  cut  the  magnetic  field  twice  in  every 
revolution,  alternating  currents  are  set  up  and  these 
are  taken  off  of  the  collector  ring  by  the  carbon  brush. 

The  carbon  brush  is  connected  to  the  interruptor 
and  the  latter  to  one  end  of  the  primary  coil  of  the 
ignition  coil,  the  other  end  of  which  is  grounded.     The 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     83 

interrupter,  which  is  rotated  by  the  armature  shaft, 
breaks  the  circuit  when  the  currents  generated  in  the 
armature  coil  reach  their  greatest  intensity  and  these 
set  up  alternating  high  tension  currents  in  the  second- 
ary coil  of  the  ignition  coil.  One  end  of  the  secondary 
coil  is  grounded  and  the  other  end  leads  to  the  rotating 


SPARK         PLUC5 


Fig.  34. —  Wiring  Diagram  of  a  Low  Tension  Magneto 
Ignition  System 


distributor  arm,  while  the  stationary  contacts  of  the 
distributor  are  connected  with  the  spark-plugs  in  the 
cylinders.  A  wiring  diagram  of  the  low  tension 
armature  magneto  system  is  shown  in  Fig,  ^4. 

The  High  Tension  Magneto. —  In  the  high  tension 
magneto  the  primary  coil  of  the  ignition  coil  is 
wound  on  a  slotted  armature  core.     One  end  of   it 


84     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

is  grounded  and  the  other  leads  to  the  condenser 
and  thence  to  the  interruptor  both  of  which  are 
grounded. 

Instead,  however,  of  using  a  separate  coil  for  the 
ignition  coil  the  secondary  coil  is  wound  directly  on 
the  primary  coil  on  the  armature  so  that  the  latter 


0\stn^*_^J''''ho\dc'- 


con^et. 
erminal  nut  for  erounUInf 


03^ 


^iGH  rcNSioN  MAC  Nero  ^^T  ^ 

% 

Fig.  35A.— The  High   Tension   Magneto  System 

is  really  a  revolving  induction  coil.  One  end  of  the 
secondary  coil  is  grounded  to  the  annature  core  and 
the  other  end  leads  to  the  collector  ring. 

The  carbon  brush  is  connected  with  the  rotating 
arm  of  the  distributor,  while  the  four  stationary  con- 
tact points  lead  to  their  respective  spark-plugs  as  in 
all  ignition  systems.     A  cross  section  view  of  a  high 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     85 

tension  magneto  is  shown  at  A,  in  Fig.  55^  and  the 
magneto  complete  at  B. 


B  -  6OSCM  HIGH  TENS/ ON  MAGNETO 
COMPLETa 

Fig.  35B. —  The  High  Tension  Magneto  System 

How  the  High  Tension  Magneto  System  Works. 
—  When  the  armature  is  rotated  low  tension  cur- 
rents are  set  up  in  the  turns  of  wire  in  the  primary 


CX>I^CTO^ 


GROUfs/D 


Fig.  ^. —  Wiring  Diagram  of  a  High  Tension  Magneto 
Ignition  System 


86     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

coil  as  they  cut  across  the  magnetic  field.  As  these 
currents  reach  their  maximum  intensity  the  interruptor 
breaks  the  circuit  and  this  sharp  break  sets  up  high 
tension  alternating  currents  in  the  secondary  coil  and 
delivers  them  to  the  collector  ring.  Here  they  are 
taken  ofif  by  the  brush  whence  they  flow  to  the  dis- 
tributor which  carries  them  to  the  spark  plugs.  A 
wiring  diagram  of  a  high  tension  magneto  system  is 
shown  in  Fig.  j6. 


k' CROSS  SECTION  OF  EJSEMASN 
/MPULSe      STARTER 

Fig.  37A. —  The  Eisemann  Impulse  Starter 


The  Use  of  the  Impulse  Starter. —  Where  a  bat- 
tery and  circuit  breaker  ignition  system  is  used  on 
a  tractor,  you  have  the  full  current  strength  to  start 
with  the  moment  you  close  the  switch,  but  not  so 
with  the  magneto  for  it  will  not  deliver  its  full  current 
sti;ength  until  it  is  running  at  its  normal  speed.  This 
makes  it  hard  to  crank  a  magneto  equipped  tractor  by 
hand. 

To  obviate  this  difficulty  an  impulse  starter  is  at- 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     87 

tached  to  the  magneto,  and,  as  its  name  implies,  it 
gives  a  quick  turn  to  the  armature  on  starting  so  that 
it  will  develop  its  full  current  strength  at  the  right 
instant  to  give  each  cylinder  in  turn  a  hot  spark  at  the 
starting  speed.  An  Eisernann  impulse  starter  is  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  j/,  and  on  an  Eisemann  magneto  at  B. 


Fig.  37B.— Eisemann  Impulse  Starter  on  a  Tractor 
Engine  Magneto 


The  Use  of  the  Tractor  Engine  Starter.— Of 
over  two  hundred  makes  of  tractors  the  engines  of  all 
but  twenty  are  cranked  by  hand,  though  most  of  them 
have  magnetos  which  are  fitted  with  impulse  starters. 
Of  the  twenty  that  are  fitted  with  starting  devices  half 
of  them  are  operated  by  electric  current  and  the  rest 
by  gas  and  air. 

The  Electric  Starter. —  There  are  a  number  of  rea- 


88     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

sons  why  starters  have  not  found  favor  thus  far  with 
makers  and  users  of  tractors.  Chief  among  these  is 
that  the  magneto,  which  is  fitted  with  an  impulse 
starter,  makes  it  easy  to  crank  the  engine  by  hand. 

The  Electric  Starter. —  The  electric  starter  comprises 
four  chief  parts,  i.  e.,  (i)  a  storage  battery,  (2)  an 
electric  motor,  (3)  a  mechanical  drive  and  (4)  a 
switch.     The  drive  is  a  device  that  is  coupled  to  the 


jioroR 


X^STA^r/A^c  sw/r^H< 


STOIfACE 

BArrERY 


ARMATUfie 
DIAGRAM  OF£L£QTRfC  STARTER  SYSTEM 

Fig.  38A.— The  Electric  Motor  Starter  System 


shaft  of  the  armature  of  the  motor  and  is  connected 
with  the  shaft  of  the  engine  when  it  is  being  started 
and  which  is  disconnected  from  the  engine  automa- 
tically after  the  engine  is  started. 

The  electric  motor,  storage  battery  and  switch  are 
connected  in  series  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  ^8.  Now 
when  you  want  to  start  the  engine  you  press  in  on 
the  starting  switch  and  the  current  from  the  battery 
runs  the  motor.  This  spins  the  threaded  drive  shaft, 
which  is  shown  in  detail  at  B,  and  then  the  weighted 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     89 


gear  on  the  screw  shaft  is  screwed  into  mesh  with  the 
gear  cut  in  the  rim  of  the  flywheel  of  the  engine 
when  it  turns  the  crankshaft  over. 

When  the  engine  is  running  at  about  its  normal 


DR/V£BOLT    .^\i\^if-      .fit 
HEAD 


/STOP 


DR/VE 
BOLT 


\DR/V£: 
SPRtNG 


AUrOMAT/C 
OR  /NE/^rtA  STOP' 


THE  8ENDIX  ELECTR/C  STARTER  DR/YE 

Fig.  38B.—  The  Electric  Motor  Starter  System 


SCREW 
GEAR 

rHE  ELECrR/C  STARTER  COMPLETE 

Fig.    38c. —  The   Electric    Motor    Starter    System 

speed  it  causes  the  weighted  screw  gear  to  turn  faster 
than  the  threaded  sleeve  and  this  makes  it  unscrew  it- 
self out  of  mesh.  The  electric  starter  complete  is 
shown  at  C. 


90     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Gas  and  Air  Starter. —  The  principle  on  which 
the  Christensen  gas  and  air  starter  works  is  that  of 
charging  the  engine  cyHnders  with  a  ready-made  fuel 
mixture  and  the  explosion  of  the  mixture  starts  the 
engine. 

The  starter  consists  of  (i)  an  air  compressor,  (2) 
a  compressed  air  tank,  (3)  a  carburetor,  (4)  a  com- 
pressed air  gauge,  (5)  a  gas  distributor,  (6)  a  clutch 


Fig.  39. —  The  Christensen  Gas  Starter 


for  the  air  compressor,  and  (7)  a  check  valve  for  each 
engine  cylinder. 

To  start  the  tractor  engine  compressed  air  is  re- 
leased from  the  tank  and  this  passes  through  the  start- 
ing carburetor,  together  with  some  gasoline,  which  is 
independent  of  the  engine  carburetor.  The  starting 
carburetor  converts  the  air  and  gasoline  into  a  highly 
explosive  fuel  charge  and  this  is  delivered  to  each  cylin^ 
der  of  the  engine  on  its  power  stroke  by  the  starting 
distributor.     The  spark  then  fires  each  cylinder  sue- 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    91 

cessively  until  the  engine  is  started  and  begins  to  run 
on  its  own  fuel  mixture.  The  Christensen  starter  is 
shown  in  Fig.  jp. 

The  Use  of  the  Governor. —  Nearly  every  tractor 
engine  is  fitted  with  a  governor  to  control  its  fuel  sup- 
ply so  that  it  will  run  at  practically  the  same  speed 
from  no  load  to  full  load  and  this  is  very  important, 
especially  where  the  engine  is  used  for  belt  work,  since 
the  load  is  always  variable.  Now  there  are  three  kinds 
of  governors  used  on  tractor  engines  and  these  are 
(i)  the  centrifugal,  or  iiyhall  governor,  (2)  the 
-floating  governor,  and  (3)  the  electric  governor. 

The  Centrifugal,  or  Flyhall,  Goz'crnor. —  The  prin- 
ciple of  this  type  of  governor  is  the  same  as  that  used 
on  a  steam  engine,  that  is,  a  pair  of  weights  which 
tend  to  fly  apart  farther  the  faster  they  are  rotated, 
moves  a  lever  that  closes  the  throttle  valve  accord- 
ingly, or  as  the  speed  decreases  they  are  forced  to- 
gether by  a  compression  spring  and  this  opens  the 
valve. 

The  centrifugal  governor  is  mounted  between  the 
carburetor  and  the  intake  manifold  and  is  connected  by 
means  of  a  flexible  shaft  to  some  rotating  part  of  the 
engine.  The  throttle  valve  which  is  normally  in  a 
position  so  that  it  does  not  keep  the  fuel  mixture  from 
flowing  into  the  cylinders  is  closed  by  the  centrifugal 
action  of  the  governor  just  as  soon  as  the  engine  is 
running  at  its  normal  speed. 

The  construction  of  a  Pierce  governor  is  shown 
in  cross  section  at  A  in  Fig.  40  which  will  also  give 


92     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

you  a  good  idea  of  how  it  works.  The  governor  may 
be  driven  from  any  rotating  part  of  the  engine  such 
as  the  camshaft,  magneto  shaft  or  pumpshaft. 

The  Floating  Governor. —  The  principle  of  the 
floating  governor  is  the  same  as  that  involved  in  a  ball 
that  rides  on  a  jet  of  water,  that  is,  the  control  disk 
of  the  governor  rides  on  the  column  of  gas  that  passes 
through  the  governor.     The  greater  the  force  of  the 


--.> 


>\  -HOM^  THB  CtNTMntCAL  OH  ^UY BALL  COySHMOH  /$  A4AP€  AMO  WOMS 

Fig.  40A. —  Kinds  of  Engine  Governors 


jet  of  water  the  higher  the  ball  will  ride  and,  likewise, 
the  stronger  the  pressure  of  the  column  of  gas  the 
higher  the  governor  disk  will  ride. 

This  disk  which  is  balanced  against  the  force  of  a 
spring  opens  and  closes  the  butterfly  throttling  valve 
between  the  carburetor  and  the  intake  manifold  of  the 
engine.  A  cross  section  of  the  Monarch  floating  gov- 
ernor is  shown  at  B  in  Fig.  40. 

The  Electric  Governor. —  The  electric  governor  of 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     93 

the  Remy  Company  consists  of  two  pieces  of  apparatus 
built  into  one  unit.  Named,  these  pieces  of  apparatus 
are,  (i)  the  electric  generator,  and  (2)  the  governor 
lever. 

The  generator  is  a  simple  direct  current  dynamo  and 
this  develops  current  for  starting,  lighting  and  ignition. 
The  generator  is  mounted  so  that  it  will  turn  through 
an  arc  of  30  degrees.     The  current  that  flows  through 


9. -CROSS -SECT/ON  OF  THE  MO/^ARCH 
FLOAT/^G      GOVERNOR 

Fig.  40B. —  Kinds  of  Engine  Governors 

the  field  coils  of  the  generator  causes  the  iron  cores  of 
the  field  magnets  to  become  strong  electro-magnets 
and,  in  virtue  of  their  magnetic  attraction  for  the 
armature  a  magnetic  drag  is  set  up  in  the  latter;  this 
being  the  case  the  armature  in  rotating  in  this  mag- 
netic field  tends  to  turn  the  field  magnets  in  the  direc- 
tion that  the  armature  is  rotating. 

The  governor-lever  is  operated  by  the  turning  of  the 
field  magnets  of  the  generator  and  this   opens   and 


94     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

closes  the  carburetor  throttle  instantly  when  the  tractor 
load  is  increased  or  decreased,  thus  providing  an  auto- 
matic electric  governor  that  accurately  controls  the 
speed  of  the  engine.  The  generator  and  governor  are 
enclosed  in  an  iron  case  that  is  both  dust  and  water- 
proof.    It  is  shown  at  C  in  Fig.  40. 


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MMATURE 


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Fig.  40c. —  Kinds  of  Governors 


The  Power  Take  Off. —  All  tractors  with  one  or 
two  exceptions  are  provided  with  a  poivcr  take  off,  that 
is,  the  engine  can  be  disconnected  from  the  tractor  and 
its  power  used  for  driving  stationary  machinery. 

The  pulley  which  is  attached  to  the  engine  of  the 
tractor  sets  on  either  {A)  the  right-hand  side  of  the 
tractor  or  else  {B)  on  the  front  end  of  it.  The  pulley 
is  driven  by  the  engine  through  either  (i)  a  direct 
drive,  w^hich  means  that  it  is  coupled  direct  to  the 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    95 

engine  shaft,  (2)  by  gears,  or  (3)  by  a  friction  drive. 
In  most  of  the  makes  of  tractors  the  pulley  is  fitted 
with  a  pulley  clutch  so  that  the  machine  which  is  being 
used  can  be  stopped  without  stopping  the  engine  as 
well  as  starting  it  easier.  Likewise  some  tractors  are 
fitted  with  a  pulley  brake  so  that  the  belt  power  can  be 


A' THE   POWER  TAKE 'OFF 

Fig.  41. —  The  Power  Take-Off 

brought  to  a  stop  very  quickly  after  the  engine  is 
stopped  or  the  pulley  clutch  is  released. 

The  widths  and  diameters  of  pulleys  vary  on  differ- 
ent sizes  and  makes  of  tractors  but  the  tractor  belt 
speed  that  will  meet  the  widest  range  of  conditions  is 
2600  feet  per  minute,  according  to  the  rating  of  the 
Society  of  Automotive  Engineers.  The  pulley  of  a 
power  take  off  with  its  clutch  is  shown  in  Fig.  41. 


96     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Tractor  Engine  Complete. —  Finally,  when 
all  of  the  above  parts  and  devices  are  assembled  into 
a  single  unit  you  have  the  tractor  engine,  complete  as 
shown  in  Fig.  42. 


Fig.  42. —  Inclosed  Four-Cylinder  Valve-in-the-Head  40- 
HoRSE  Power  Stearns  Engine 

Finally  About  Tractor  Lighting. —  There  are  two 
schemes  for  providing  lights  on  a  tractor  so  that  it  is 
available  for  night  work  and  these  are  (i)  by  using 
gas,  and  (2)  by  using  electricity. 

Acetylene  Gas  Lighting. —  In  this  lighting  scheme 
acetylene  gas  is  made  in  an  apparatus  called  a  generator 
which  causes  water  to  drop  on  calcium  carbide.  It  is 
easy  to  handle  and  gives  a  very  strong,  bright  light. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     97 

Electric  Lighting. —  There  are  three  ways  by  which 
tractors  can  use  electricity  for  Hghting  and  these  are 
(i)  by  a  storage  battery  alone;  (2)  by  an  electric  gen- 
erator alone,  and  (3)  by  a  combination  of  the  storage 
battery  and  a  generator. 

Where  a  storage  battery  alone  is  used  it  must  be 
charged  from  a  lighting  circuit  and  this  means  more 
than  less  bother.  An  electric  generator  driven  by  the 
tractor  engine  will  give  you  light  and  plenty  of  it 
but  only  when  the  engine  is  running.  Hence  the  only 
satisfactory  way  to  light  a  tractor  by  electricity  is 
to  equip  it  with  a  storage  battery  and  a  generator  just 
as  motor  cars  are. 

When  the  engine  is  running  the  generator  delivers 
a  current  and  this  charges  the  storage  battery,  and 
when  the  engine  is  stopped  the  storage  battery  sup- 
plies current  to  light  the  lamps. 


CHAPTER  III 

(Continued) 

THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR 

Part  II  • 

HOW  THE  TRANSMISSION  SYSTEM  IS  MADE 
AND  WORKS 

The  transmission  system  comprises  a  number  of 
elements  and  chief  among  these  are  (i)  the  trans- 
mission  clutch,  (2)  the  transmission  gears,  or  trans- 
mission as  it  is  called  for  short,   (3)   the  differential 


£N  Gll^e 


0000 


Fig.  43. —  Diagram  of  the  Transmission  System 

gears,  or  just  differential,  and  (4)  the  final  drive. 
The  transmission  clutch,  so-called  to  differentiate  it 
from  the  pulley  clutch,  connects  the  crankshaft  of  the 
engine  with  the  transmission  gears;  the  latter  are  all 
connected  with  the   differential,   where   one   is  used, 

98 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR    99 

and,  lastly,  this  connects  with  the  final  drive  as  shown 
diagrammatically  in  Fig.  //j. 

What  the  Transmission  Clutch  is  For. —  Since 
an  internal  combustion  engine  develops  power  only 
when  it  is  running  at  its  normal  speed  the  engine  must 
be  disconnected  from  the  tractor,  or  other  load  for 
that  matter,  when  you  start  it  up.  As  it  gathers 
momentum  and  attains  its  normal  speed  the  tractor 
can  then,  and  only  then,  be  gently  and  gradually  con- 
nected with  the  crankshaft  of  the  engine,  and  to  do 
this  a  transmission  clutch  is  needed. 

Now  the  clutch  of  a  tractor  is  a  most  peculiar  and 
particular  piece  of  mechanism  and,  as  it  has  to  cushion 
the  power  when  it  picks  up  the  load,  it  is  likewise 
very  important  for  on  its  action  largely  depends  the 
life  of  the  transmission  devices  back  of  it  as  well  as 
that  of  the  engine  in  front  of  it.  Hence,  if  it  is  to 
■give  you  first  class  service  it  must  not  slip,  drag,  grab 
or  stutter. 

Various  Kinds  of  Clutches. —  All  clutches  used  in 
tractor  transmission  systems  are  based  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  friction,  that  is,  two  surfaces,  one  of  which 
is  fixed  on  the  end  of  the  crankshaft  and  the  other  on 
the  end  of  the  clutchshaft,  are  so  arranged  that  they 
can  be  brought  into  contact  gradually  by  the  tractioneer 
and  by  the  friction  so  produced  they  will  soon  rotate 
together  as  though  they  were  a  single  unit. 

There  are  no  less  than  seven  different  kinds  of 
clutches  used  on  tractors  at  the  present  time  and  these 
are  (i)  the  single  disk  clutch,  (2)  the  multiple  disk 


loo    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

clutch,  (3)  the  cone  clutch,  (4)  the  expanding  band 
clutch,  (5)  the  expanding  shoe  clutch,  (6)  the  con- 
tracting band  clutch,  and  (7)  the  friction  wheel  clutch, 
though  the  latter  device  is  not  in  the  strict  sense  a 
clutch  at  all  though  in  a  few  tractors  it  is  used  as  such. 
How  Clutches  are  Made  and  Work. —  In  all 
clutches  except  the  so-called  friction  wheel  clutch,  the 
surfaces  are  held  in  contact  with  each  other  either  by  a 


A  •  A  SIMPLE  ots/c  CLore// 
Fig.  44A.—  How  a  Single  Disk  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works 


powerful  spring  or  else  by  a  clutch  lever  and  they  are 
only  disconnected  by  either  pressing  in  on  a  clutch  foot 
pedal  or  by  reversing  the  clutch  bar. 

The  Single  Disk  Clutch. —  This  clutch  is  also  known 
as  a  dry-plate  clutch  because  formerly  the  disks,  or 
plates,  as  the  metal  surfaces  which  make  contact  with 
each  other  are  called,  were  immersed  in  oil.  In  this 
clutch  a  single  disk,  or  plate,  is  rigidly  mounted  on 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR  .10  ly 

the  end  of  the  clutchshaft  between  two  asbestos  rings 
which  are  supported  by  the  flywheel  on  the  crank- 
shaft of  the  engine. 

When  there  is  no  pressure  exerted  by  the  tractioneer 
on  the  clutch  pedal,  or  clutch  lever,  two  or  more  pivoted 


1  #^  //  / 


BMAKefACe 
SAIC  iEAKlHi^ 


^-%A  BOfiC  AW  BECK  SINGLE  DISK 
3  CLUTCH  5HOWN  IN  PART  CROSS 
^^  SECTION 


Fig.  44B. —  How  a  Single  Disk  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works 


arms  or  bell-cranks  act  by  means  of  a  powerful  spiral 
spring  like  so  many  wedges  and  this  forces  the  disk 
or  plate  into  contact  with  the  asbestos  rings.  When 
you  press  in  on  the  clutch  pedal,  or  lever,  the  disk  and 
the  rings  are  pushed  apart  and  this  disconnects  the 


joi    fAW  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

engine  from  the  transmission.  This  clutch  is  shown 
in  the  diagram  at  A  in  Fig.  44  and  a  Borg  and  Beck 
single-plate,  dry-disk  clutch  is  shown  in  partial  cross 
section  at  B. 

The  Multiple  Disk  Clutch. —  This  clutch  consists  of 
a  number  of  disks,  or  plates,  fixed  to  the  clutchshaft 
and  an  equal  number  of  rings  secured  to  the  inside 
of  the  rim  of  the  flywheel.     These  disks  and  rings 


.<.'*"^ 


cd 


M'-^ 


CLurcH 


A'OIACXAM  or  A   MULTIPLE  OlStC  CLUTCH 

Fig.  45.— How  a  Multiple  Disk  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works 


alternate  and  interleave  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  45.  It 
works  on  the  same  principle  as  the  single  disk  clutch. 
A  spiral  spring  keeps  the  disks  on  the  clutch  shaft  in 
firm  contact  with  the  rings  that  are  keyed  to  the  fly- 
wheel rim,  though  they  can  be  forced  apart  by  either 
pressing  down  on  the  clutch  pedal  or  throwing  the 
clutch  lever.  The  Cotta  multiple  disk  clutch  is  shown 
at  B. 

The  Cone  Clutch.     In  this  type  of  clutch  the  fly- 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     103 

wheel  is  recessed,  that  is,  hollowed  out  so  that  a  conical 
member  will  fit  into  it.  This  member,  which  is  usually 
of  pressed  steel  and  covered  with  leather,  is  keyed  to 
the  end  of  the  clutchshaft,  as  shown  in  the  diagram 
at  A  in  Fig.  46.  Now  when  the  clutch  lever  is  re- 
leased the  spiral  spring  forces  the  cone  into  the  fly- 
wheel of  the  engine  when,  of  course,  the  friction  be- 


A 

Fig.  46. 


How  THE  Cone  Clutch  Is  Made  and  Works 


tween  them  will  make  them  revolve  together  as  though 
they  were  a  single  piece.  B  shows  how  the  cone  clutch 
is  worked  by  the  clutch  pedal. 

The  Expanding  Band  Clutch. —  In  this  clutch  a 
flexible  steel  band,  whose  outside  surface  is  covered 
with  asbestos,  is  secured  to  the  clutchshaft  and  sets  in- 
side of  the  recessed  flywheel  of  the  engine.  The  ends 
of  the  band  are  pivoted  to  the  arms  of  the  toggle 
joint  and  this  in  turn  is  connected  by  a  rod  to  a  clutch 


104    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

lever  all  of  which  is  shown  diagrammatically  at  A  in 
Fig.  47,  and  complete  at  B.  This  band  is  kept  ex- 
panded by  a  spring  when  they  grip  the  rim  of  the  fly- 
wheel. To  disconnect  the  clutchshaft  from  the  en- 
gine you  pull  a  lever  and  this  makes  the  band  con- 
tract a  little  and  so  relieves  the  pressure. 


A-^fAG/fAM  or  AM £XPANDIf/G  BAND 
CLUrCH 


^-LXPAND/NC  BAND  CLUTCH 
ON  A   TftACTOJf 


Fig,  47. —  How  the  Expanding  Band  Clutch  Is  Made  and 
Works 


The  Expanding  Shoe  Clutch. —  This  clutch  works 
in  about  the  same  way  as  the  expanding  band  clutch, 
except  that  a  number  of  wooden  blocks,  called  shoes, 
are  secured  to  the  clutchshaft  by  a  toggle-joint  or  bell- 
cranks  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  48.  These  shoes  set  in- 
side the  flywheel  of  the  engine  and  are  made  to  press 
out  and  against  the  rim  by  means  of  a  spring.  To  dis- 
connect the  clutch  you  pull  the  clutch  lever  when  they 
move  toward  the  center  which  reduces  the  friction  and 
the  clutch  elements  can  then  rotate  separately. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     105 


The  Contracting  Band  Clutch. —  With  a  clutch  of 
this  type  a  steel  band  lined  with  asbestos  is  used  that 
is  very  like  the  expanding  band  type  described  above 


SHOE  CLUrCH 


^•O/ACRAM  or  AN  EXPAND/NG 
5H0£     CLUTCH 

Fig.  48. —  How  the  Expanding  Shoe  Clutch  Is  Made  and 
Works 


^-D/Ac^AM  or  A  coAfr/tAcrwc 

OAND  CLUrCH 


%rH£  TWIN  cirrcoffT/iAa/NO 

BAND  CLUTCH 


Fig.  49. —  How  a  Contracting  Band  Clutch  Is  Made  and 
Works 


but  in  this  case  the  band  fits  around  the  rim  of  a  wheel 
that  is  fixed  to  the  flywheel  of  the  engine.  The  ends 
of  the  band  are  connected  with  a  toggle-joint   and 


io6     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

when  this  is  pressed  in  by  a  spring  it  draws  the  band 
tight  on  the  wheel  when  the  clutchshaft  will  rotate 


'^^ 


A  'THE  FRtCTfON  DfilVE  CLUTCH 


B  -the:  ANDREWS  FRfCTlON ORIVE  CLUTCH 

Fig.  50. —  How  the  Friction  Drive  Clutch  Is  Made  and 
Works 

with  the  crankshaft.  It  is  shown  schematically  at  A 
in  Fig.  4p  and  the  actual  clutch  on  a  Twin  City  tractor 
is  shown  at  B, 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     107 

The  Friction  Drive  Clutch. —  This  clutch  consists 
of  a  wheel  keyed  to  the  clutchshaft  and  whose  rim  is 
covered  with  leather.  This  wheel  presses  on  the 
smooth  flat  surface  of  the  flywheel  of  the  engine  and 
at  right  angles  to  it  when  the  clutchshaft  is  made  to 
revolve  by  the  rolling  frictional  contact  between  them. 
Hence  it  is  a  friction  drive  rather  than  a  friction  clutch. 
It  is  shown  in  principle  at  A  in  Fig.  ^o,  and  as  used 
on  the  Andrews  tractor  at  B. 

The  Transmission. —  Since  the  engine  must  run  at 
a  practically  constant  speed  and  the  tractor  must  travel 
at  different  speeds  there  must  be  some  connecting 
mechanism  between  them  to  increase  and  reduce  the 
speed  of  the  tractor  without  affecting  the  speed  of  the 
engine  and  this  is  done  by  means  of  a  transmis- 
sion, gearset,  or  change-gears  as  this  part  is  variously 
called. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  transmissions  used  for  chang- 
ing the  speed  of  tractors  and  these  are  (i)  the  fric- 
tion  transmission,  and  (2)  the  change-gear  transmis- 
sion. About  I  per  cent,  of  1920  tractors  are  fitted 
with  the  first  kind  and  the  remaining  are  equipped  with 
the  latter  kind. 

The  Friction  Wheel  Transmission. —  This  transmis- 
sion is  constructed  exactly  like  the  friction  clutch 
described  under  the  foregoing  heading.  In  fact  a  fric- 
tion drive  clutch  also  serves  as  a  transmission  since 
when  the  clutch,  or  driven  wheel,  that  makes  contact 
with  the  driving  wheel,  which  is  keyed  to  the  crankshaft 
of  the  engine,  is  moved  from  the  center  of  the  latter 


io8    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

over  to  its  circumference  the  former  will  revolve  at 
varying  speeds. 

Further,  if  the  driven  w^heel  is  moved  from  one 
side  of  the  driving  wheel  to  the  other  side  it  will  have 
its  direction  of  rotation  reversed.  A  reference  to  A 
in  Fig.  §o  will  show  how  these  actions  take  place. 

The  Gearset  Transmission. —  There  are  two  kinds 
of  change-gear  transmissions  used  in  tractor  trans- 
mission systems  and  these  are  (i)  the  sliding  gear 
transmission  and  (2)  the  planetary  gear  transmission. 
Gear  transmissions  have  from  i  to  4  speeds  forward 
and  from  i  to  4  speeds  reverse,  but  nearly  all  tractors 
are  provided  with  transmissions  that  give  2  speeds 
forward  and  i  reverse. 

The  Sliding  Gear  Transmission. —  In  this  transmis- 
sion there  are  three  shafts  used  and  these  are  (a) 
the  countershaft  for  the  forward  speed  gears,  (b)  the 
second  countershaft,  sometimes  called  the  secondary 
shaft,  for  the  reverse  gears  and  (3)  the  drive  shaft. 

On  the  countershaft  there  is  rigidly  fixed  to,  or 
keyed,  three  gears  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  5/.  On  the 
drive  shaft  are  two  movable  gears  that  can  slide  along 
it  as  it  is  splined,  that  is  grooved  lengthwise,  and,  hence, 
while  the  gears  can  slide  they  must  turn  with  it  just 
as  though  they  were  keyed  to  it.  In  the  diagram  A 
these  gears  are  numbered,  /,  2,  5,  4,  and  5,  6,  respec- 
tively. 

The  gear  /  on  the  countershaft  meshes  with,  and  is 
driven,  by  the  ge^r  2  on  the  clutchshaft  which  is  con- 
^nected  to  the  engine  through  the  clutch.     The  gear  j 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR 


109 


on  the  countershaft  is  driven  by  the  gear  4  when  the 
latter  is  shifted  into  mesh  with  it  by  the  gear-shift  yoke 
which  is  fixed  to  and  thrown  by  the  gear-shift  lever  at 
the  will  of  the  tractioneer.  The  gear  5  on  the  counter- 
shaft meshes  in  the  same  way  with  the  gear  6  on  the 
splined  shaft  when  the  gear-shaft  lever  is  thrown  but 
when  the  gear  4  is  moved  over  by  the  yoke  the  gear 
6  moves  also  so  that  only  one  of  these  gears  can  mesh 
with  its  complementary  gear  at  a  time. 


oc 


Oc 


DtACRAM  OF  A  SLrV/AfC  GEAR 
rRANS/^ISS/ON(F0/iWA/iD) 


i 


^l 


'4 


lC3f 


^     0/AC/iAMOFASLf£i/MCG£AR 
TKANSMISS/ON  (fiSVEJfSe) 

Fig.  sia,  b. —  How  the  Sliding  Gear  Transmission  Is  Made 
AND  Works 


Since  the  gears  j  and  4  and  5  and  6  are  of  dif- 
ferent sizes  it  must  be  clear  that  the  drive  shaft  which 
propels  the  tractor  will  revolve  at  two  different  speeds 
depending  on  which  set  of  gears  are  in  mesh,  and, 
consequently,  by  shifting  the  gear-shift  lever  you  can 
get  either  speed  you  want.  If  a  third  speed  is  wanted 
still  another  pair  of  gears  must  be  put  on  the  counter 
and  drive  shafts. 

To  reverse  the  tractor,  that  is,  to  back  it  up,  a  second 


no     FARiM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

countershaft  must  be  used  and  this  is  geared  to  the 
clutchshaft  and  driveshaft  as  shown  at  B.  Because 
of  this  second  countershaft  when  the  gears  on  it  are 
shifted  to  mesh  with  the  clutchshaft  it  makes  the  drive- 
shaft  rotate  in  the  opposite  direction. 

Some  gear  transmissions  use  only  spur  gears  as  in 
the  Avery  tractor,  and  this  is  possible  where  the  crank- 
shaft of  the  engine  sets  parallel  with  the  axles  of  the 


C-  r//£  SLfOMG  C£AR  T/IAA/SM/SS/O/^ 

ON  A  rtv/A/ c/7-y  r/^ACTo/i 

Fig.  51C.— The  Sliding  Gear  Transmission 

tractor,  but  beveled  gears  must  be  used  to  change  the 
direction  of  the  power  where  the  engine  crankshaft  sets 
at  right  angles  to  the  axles  as  in  the  Wallis  tractor. 
The  bevel  gear  is,  however,  just  as  efficient  in  trans- 
mitting power  as  the  spur  gear.  The  sliding  gear 
transmission  and  gear-shift  lever  of  a  Twin  City  trac- 
tor is  shown  at  C. 

The  Planetary  Gear  Transmission. —  The  outstand- 
ing feature  that  differentiates  this  transmission  from 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     1 1 1 

the  sliding  gear  transmission  is  that  all  of  the  gears 
are  always  in  mesh.  By  looking  at  the  drawing  A  in 
Pig-  5^>  you  will  see  that  the  clutchshaft  carries  the 
driving  gear  and  that  there  are  three  small  gears,  or 
planet  gears,  as  they  are  called,  because  they  revolve 
around  the  driving  gear  like  the  planets  around  the 


'^f^ 


A'OIACRAM  or  rH£  PLANETA^y  C£AR 
TRANSMISSfON 

Fig.  52A. —  How  the  Planetary  Gear  Transmission  Is  Made 
AND  Works 


sun,  that  mesh  with  the  latter  and  also  with  a  large 
internal,  or  ring  gear. 

The  planet  gears  rotate  on  pins  that  are  fixed  to 
the  ring  plate  and  around  this  and  the  large  ring  gear 
is  a  contracting  brake  hand  of  the  kind  described  in 
connection  with  the  contracting  band  clutch.  These 
bands  are  tightened  and  loosened  by  means  of  toggles, 


L 


112    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 


operated  by  a  lever  in  the  hands  of  the  tractioneer  in 
the  same  way  as  the  sliding  gear  transmission. 

Now  the  way  the  planetary  gear  transmission  works 
is  this:  When  both  brake  bands  are  loose  all  the 
gears  will  turn  with  the  driving  gear  and  this  gives 
the  highest  speed  forward.  When,  however,  the  brake 
band  is  tightened  around  the  ring  plate  the  drive  gears 
carry   the   planetary   gears   around    it;    consequently, 


B  'PLANErAHY  G£A/i  TfiAA/SMfSS/Of^  ON 
UrrtE  B£AR  TRACTOR 


Fig.  52B.- 


How  THE  Planetary  Gear  Transmission 
Is  Made  and  Works 


since  they  are  in  mesh  with  the  ring  gear,  it  revolves 
and  this  gives  the  second  speed'  forward. 

But  when  the  ring  plate  brake  band  is  tightened 
around  the  ring  gear  it  stops  and  the  planetary  gears, 
which  rotate  in  the  opposite  direction  to  the  ring  gear, 
make  the  ring  plate  also  move  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion and  this  gives  the  reverse  speed.  •  It  is  shown  at 
j9  in  a  Little  Bear  tractor. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     113 

The  Counter  and  Intermediate  Shafts. —  Very  often 
in  reading  about  various  tractors  you  will  come  upon 
the  terms  countershaft  and  intermediate  shaft.  These 
are  the  shafts  that  carry  the  transmission  gears  and, 
hence,  they  are  located  between  the  clutchshaft  and 
the  final  driveshaft. 

What  the  Differential  is  For. —  As  long  as  a 
tractor  moves  in  a  straight  line  both  drive  wheels,  of 
course,  revolve  at  the  same  speed.  But  when  a  tractor 
makes  a  turn  the  drive  wheel  on  the  outside  has  to 
cover  more  ground  than  the  one  on  the  inside.  Now 
if  both  drive  wheels  are  rigidly  fixed  to  the  same  axle, 
or  shaft,  it  is  clear  that  the  outside  wheel  will  have 
to  slip  to  keep  up  with  the  inside  wheel  when  making 
a  turn. 

To  keep  the  outside  drive  wheel  from  slipping  and 
to  give  it  the  same  traction  resistance  that  the  inside 
wheel  exerts  when  the  tractor  is  making  a  turn  a 
mechanical  movement  called  a  differential  is  inter- 
posed between  the  two  drive  wheels.  This  scheme  not 
only  eases  off  the  strain  on  the  tractor  but  it  permits 
it  to  make  shorter  turns.  Where  only  one  drive  wheel, 
or  drive  drum,  is  used  there  is  no  need  for  a  differ- 
ential and  this  is  the  reason  that  tractors  of  this  type 
are  built,  but  a  differential  is  an  absolute  necessity 
on  a  tractor  that  has  two  drive  wheels. 

Kinds  of  Differentials. —  All  differentials  work  on 
the  same  principle  so  that  when  you  know  how  one 
of  them  works  you  will  understand  them  all.  The  dif- 
ference in  differentials,  then,  is  not  one  of  principle, 


114     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 


for  all  of  them  are  compensating  gears  which  permit 
the  power  to  turn  both  drive  wheels  equally  when  the 
tractor  is  moving  in  a  straight  line,  or  to  turn  inde- 
pendently of  one  another  when  one  wheel  has  to  cover 
more  ground  than  the  other.  The  specific  difference 
in  differentials  lies  in  (i)  the  kind  of  gears  used,  and 
(2)  whether  they  can  or  cannot  be  locked. 


ro  £AfC/Af£ 


^  .//OH'  r//£-  p/FF£/i£Nr/AL  C£AR$  WORff 
Fig.  S3A. —  How  the  Differential  Gears  Work 

How  the  Differential  is  Made  and  Works. —  You  can 
easily  understand  how  the  differential  is  made  and 
works  if  you  will  look  at  the  diagram  of  the  gears 
shown  at  A  in  Fig.  55  and  the  actual  differential  on  the 
E-B  tractor  as  shown  at  B. 

You  will  see  from  the  diagram  that  a  drive  gear  is 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     115 

secured  to  one  end  of  the  drive  shaft  and  this  meshes 
with  and  drives  a  ring-gear.  To  the  ring-gear  is  fixed 
a  gear  frame  and,  hence,  these  revolve  together. 
There  are  usually  tw^o  differential  gears  used  in  tractor 
transmissions,  and  one  of  these  is  secured  to  one  of 
the  axle  shafts  and  the  other  to  the  other  axle  shaft. 


R  -  r//£  D/FFERENT/AL   GEAR  OAf  AA/  £S 
TRACTOR 

Fig.  53B.—  How  the  Differential  Is  Made  and  Works 

These  shafts  abut  and  are  in  alignment  v^ith  each  other 
as  shown  in  the  diagram. 

The  differential  pinions,  or  small  gears,  of  which 
there  are  usually  three  or  four,  are  pivoted  to  the  gear 
case  and  these  mesh  with  the  large  gears  that  are 
keyed  to  the  axle  shafts. 

It  is  easy  now  to  understand  how  the  differential 


ii6    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

works:  when  the  axle  shaft  is  driven  by  the  large 
spur-gear,  the  beveled  pinions,  of  course,  turn  round 
with  it.  If,  now,  the  tractor  is  moving  straight  ahead, 
the  distance  of  travel  of  both  drive  wheels  will  be 
the  same  and,  hence,  the  power  delivered  to  the  spur- 
gear  on  the  axle  shaft  will  make  all  of  the  gears  re- 
volve together  as  though  the  drive  shaft  was  a  single 


Fig.  54. —  A  Locking  Differential 


piece  and  when  this  is  the  case  both  drive  wheels  will 
revolve  at  the  same  speed. 

But  when  the  tractor  makes  a  turn  the  beveled  gear 
nearest  the  inside  drive  wheel  will  rotate  more  slowly 
than  the  one  nearest  the  outside  drive  wheel;  this 
is  in  virtue  of  the  fact  that  the  power  driving  the 
spur-gear  makes  the  beveled  pinions  turn  on  their 
pins,  yet  at  the  same  time  it  delivers  power  to  both 
drive  wheels.     In  the  real   differential   shown  at  B 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     117 

three  or  more  beveled  pinions  are  fitted  in  a  frame 
called  a  spider  and  this  is  fixed  inside  the  spur-gear. 

What  a  Locking  Differential  Is. —  Since  tractors 
usually  travel  comparatively  long  distances  before  they 
have  to  make  a  turn  in  plowing,  etc.,  it  is  good  engi- 

A     THE  CHAIN  DRIVE 


OXIV£  SPROCKET 


B  -  TH£  CHAIN  DRIVE  OAI  THE  ELCIAI  TRACTOR 

Fig.  55. —  How  the  Chain  Drive  Works 


neering  practice  to  lock  the  opposite  differential  gears 
which  operate  the  drive  wheels  and  this  is  done  by  one 
or  more  dog-clutches. 

These  clutches  can  be  thrown  in  and  out  of  mesh  as 
desired.  When  they  are  in  mesh  both  drive  wheels 
rotate  as  though   they   were  fixed  to  a   single  axle. 


ii8     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

When  rounding  a  corner  the  clutches  can  be  thrown 
out  of  mesh  and  the  differential  is  then  free  to  let  them 
revolve  as  distinct  members.  Fig.  5^  shows  a  locking 
differential. 

What  the  Final  Drive  Is. —  There  are  very  few 
tractors  whose  drive  wheels  are  keyed  directly  to  the 


V\/H££L 


As.'rH££XT£Rf^ALBULL  C£AR  DP/V£ 

Fig.   56A. —  How  the  External  Bull  Gear  Drive 
Is  Made  and  Works 


drive  shafts  that  are  connected  with  the  differential 
but  instead  the  rear  end  weight  of  the  tractor  is  usually 
carried  by  an  axle  and  the  drive  wheels  are  driven  from 
the  drive  shafts  by  some  kind  of  a  power  transmitting 
scheme  and  this  is  called  the  final  drive. 

Kinds  of  Final  Drives. —  There  are  four  kinds  of 
final  drives  used  on  tractors  and  these  are   (i)   the 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     119 

chain  drive;  (2)  the  external  bull  gear  drive;  (3)  the 
internal  bull  gear  drive,  and  (4)  the  worm  drive. 
Further,  these  drives  may  be  either  (A)  open,  or  (B) 
enclosed. 

How  Final  Drives  are  Made  and  Work. —  The 
Chain  Drive. —  The  chain  drive  consists  of  a  small 
sprocket  wheel  on  each  end  of  the  countershaft  that 


^Qthe  external  bull  cear  drive  ov 
a  u  10  rumely  tractor 

Fig.  56B. —  How  the  External  Bull  Gear  Drive  Is  Made 
AND  Works 


carries  the  differential  gear.  Another  and  larger 
sprocket  is  fixed  to  each  drive  wheel  and  the  sprockets 
are  then  connected  by  means  of  a  drive  chain  as  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  §^.  The  chain  drive  on  the  Elgin  tractor 
is  shown  at  B. 

The  External  Bull-Gear  Drive. —  In  this  drive  a 
large  gear  with  teeth  cut  on  its  outside  circumference, 


120    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

which  is  called  a  bull-gear,  is  bolted  to  the  center  of 
the  drive  wheels.  The  small  drive  gear,  or  bull-pinion 
as  it  is  called,  is  keyed  to  the  shafts  that  carry  the  dif- 
ferential and  meshes  with  the  bull-gear.  This  type  of 
drive  is  shown  at  A  and  B  in  Fig.  56. 

The  Internal  Bull-Gear  Drive. —  In  this  drive  the 


rt'-j^" 


A^^£  /A/r^RNAl  BULL 

o/i/v£(eNCLOsa>  type) 


Fig.  57A. —  How  the  Internal  Bull  Gear  Drive  Is 
Made  and  Works 


bull-gear  is  an  internal  one,  that  is,  it  is  a  ring-gear 
with  teeth  cut  on  its  inner  circumference  as  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  57.  The  small  drive  gear,  or  bull  pinion^ 
is  coupled  to  the  differential  shaft  as  in  the  case  of  the 
external  bull-gear  drive,  but,  of  course,  it  meshes  with 
the  bull-gear  on  the  inside. 

The  Worm  Drive. —  A  worm-gear  is  a  screw  whose 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     121 

threads  mesh  with  the  threads  of  a  spiral  gear  as  shown 
in  Fig.  58.     When  the  worm-gear  is  used  for  the  final 


B-r/y£  INTERNAL  BULL  GEAR  DRf^E  ON  A 
WATERLOO  BOy MODEL  A/   12 '2S 

Fig.  57B. —  How  the  Internal  Bull  Gear  Is  Made  and  Works 


Fig.  58. —  How  the  Worm  Drive  Is  Made  and  Works 

drive  the  large  spiral  gear  is  made  in  the  form  of  a 
ring-gear  and  the  differential  spider  sets  in  and  is  fixed 
to  it. 


CHAPTER  III 

(Continued) 

THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR 
PART  III 

HOW  THE  STEERING  GEAR  AND  BRAKES 
ARE  MADE  AND  WORK 

The  steering  gear  and  brakes  make  up  the  two  last 
mechanical  devices  that  are  used  on  tractors  and  both 
of  these  are  quite  simple  in  construction  and,  hence, 
easy  to  understand.  As  they  are  entirely  different 
parts  of  the  tractor  mechanism  I  will  describe  them 
under  separate  headings. 

ABOUT  THE  STEERING  GEAR 

Tractors  that  are  fitted  with  wheels  are  steered  by 
turning  the  front  members  to  one  side  or  the  other 
like  any  other  wheeled  vehicle,  but  tractors  of  the 
crawler  type  are  steered  in  a  fashion  all  their  own 
and  this  will  be  described  presently. 

How  Wheeled  Tractors  are  Steered. —  There  are 
three  ways  by  which  the  front  wheels  of  a  tractor 
can  be  turned  and  these  are  ( i )  by  handles  when  it 
turned  by  manual  effort,  like  a  push-cart;  (2)  by  a 
steering  wheel  gear  when  it  operated  like  a  motor  car 
or  a  motor  truck,  and  (3)  by  lines  when  it  is  driven 

122 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     123 

like  a  team  of  horses.  Finally,  the  tractor  can  be 
automatically  steered  straight  ahead  when  it  is  used 
for  plowing  by  (4)  a  guide  rod,  or  wheel,  that  sets 
into  and  follows  the  furrow. 

Kinds  of  Front  Axle  Assemblies. —  By  assembly 
is  meant  the  way  in  which  the  front  wheel  is,  or  wheels 
are,  mounted  on  the  axle  or  other  supporting  member 
so  that  it,  or  they,  can  be  turned.     There  are  three 


=C: 


A3SCM0LY 


B  •  SWIVeUED  AXLC  ASSEMBLY  C  -KNUCKLE  AND  AXIS 

ASSEMSir 


Fig.  59. —  Kinds  of  Front  Wheel  Assemblies 


kinds  of  assemblies  employed  in  tractor  construction 
that  have  front  wheels  for  the  steering  members  and 
these  are  (i)  the  pivoted  fork  assembly,  (2)  the 
pivoted  axle  assembly  and  (3)  the  knuckle  and  axle 
assembly. 

The  Pivoted  Fork  Assembly. —  Where  a  single  wheel 
is  used  for  the  steering  member  it  sets  in  a  fork  and 
this  turns  on  a  vertical  pivot  like  the  front  wheel  of 
a  bicycle  as  A  in  Fig.  59  shows. 

The  Swivelled  Axle  Assembly. —  Two  wheels  are 


124    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

used  in  this  assembly  and  these  are  mounted  on  the  ends 
of  an  axle  which  is  pivoted  to  the  front  end  of  the 
tractor  frame  as  shown  at  B.  It  is  like  the  front  axle 
assembly  of  a  wagon,  in  that  the  axle  and.  hence 
the  wheels,  swings  from  side  to  side  around  the 
pivot. 

The  Knuckle  and  Axle  Assembly. —  In  this  assembly 
the  rigid  front  axle  always  remains  in  the  same  posi- 
tion, that  is,  parallel  to  the  rear  axle.  Each  end  of 
the  axle  carries  a  knuckle  which  is  fixed  to  a  stub  axle 
and  on  this  the  wheel  turns.  The  knuckles  form 
hinged  supports  which  permit  the  wheels  to  turn  from 
side  to  side.  Each  knuckle  is  fitted  with  a  knuckle 
arm  and  these  are  connected  together  by  means  of  a 
tie-rod.  A  steering  arm  is  fixed  to  one  of  the  knuckles 
and  this  connects  with  a  drag  link  all  of  which  is  shown 
at  C.  This  is  the  standard  assembly  axle  that  is  used 
in  all  motor  cars  and  motor  trucks  and  is  also  used 
on  nearly  all  of  the  best  tractors. 

What  the  Steering  Gear  Consists  Of. —  The  steer- 
ing gear  control  is  made  up  of  ( i )  the  steering  wheel, 
(2)  the  steering  wheel  shaft,  (3)  the  steering  gear 
proper  and  (4)  the  front  axle  assembly  described 
above,  while  (5)  there  is  often  one  or  more  universal 
joints  used  in  the  steering  wheel  shaft. 

The  steering  wheel  is  simply  a  large  spoked  wheel 
which  the  tractioneer  turns  one  way  or  the  other  when 
he  wants  to  steer  his  tractor  to  the  right  or  left.  To 
this  wheel  is  fixed  the  steering  shaft  and  this  has  a 
worm   gear,   or   a    bevel  pinion,   on    its   other  end. 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     125 

Whichever  gear  is  used  it  meshes  with  either  (i)  a 
spiral  gear,  (2)  a  nut,  or  (3)  a  sector. 

The  Universal  Joint. —  This  is  a  mechanical  move- 
ment that  is  used  to  couple  the  steering  shaft  together 
where  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  bend  in  the  latter  and 
yet  allow  it  to  revolve.  A  universal  joint  consists  of 
two  U-shaped  yokes  each  of  which  are  connected  to 
the  ends  of  the  shaft  where  it  is  cut  to  form  an  angle, 
and  the  ends  of  the  yokes  are  then  pivoted  together. 
Such  a  coupling  allows  both  shafts  to  turn  freely  and 
together  regardless  of  the  angle  they  set  at,  nearly. 

How  the  Steering  Gear  Control  Works. —  The 
Single  Wheel,  Pivoted  Fork  Control. —  Where  a  single 
front  wheel  is  used  in  a  pivoted  fork  for  steering  the 
tractor,  the  upper  end  of  the  pivot  is  keyed  to  either 
( I )  a  spiral  gear  or  a  bevel  gear,  depending  on 
whether  a  H'orm  gear  or  a  beveled  pinion  is  fixed  on 
the  steering  shaft,  or  (2)  to  a  grooved  wheel. 

Where  a  spiral  gear  is  used  the  end  of  the  steer- 
ing shaft  is  fitted  with  a  small  worm  gear  that  meshes 
with  it  as  shown  in  Fig.  60.  But  where  a  bevel  gear 
is  keyed  to  the  end  of  the  pivot  the  end  of  the  steer- 
ing shaft  must  be  provided  with  a  bevel  pinion  that 
meshes  with  the  bevel  gear  on  the  pivot  of  the  fork. 

Where  a  grooved  wheel  is  keyed  to  the  pivot  of  the 
fork  the  bevel  gear  is  mounted  on  an  arm  that  is  fixed 
to  and  projects  from  the  bearing  of  the  fork.  This 
gear  also  has  a  groove  cut  in  its  periphery,  or  rim, 
and  a  chain,  or  cable,  is  looped  around  it  and  the 
grooved  wheel,  and  then  drawn  up  tight.     In  this  case 


126    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

also  the  steering  shaft  has  a  beveled  pinion  that  meshes 
with  the  bevel  gear  which  carries  the  chain  or  cable. 

It  is  obvious,  now,  that  when  the  tractioneer  turns 
the  steering  wheel  the  motion  is  transmitted  by  the 
shaft  to  the  bevel  pinion  or  worm  and  by  the  latter 
to  the  bevel  gear  or  spiral  gear  on  the  pivoted  fork 


Fig.  6o. —  The  Steering  Gear  Mechanism  for  a  Single 
Front  Wheel 

assembly.  Where  the  grooved  wheel  is  used  it  Is, 
of  course,  rotated  by  the  bevel  gear  through  the  chain 
or  cable. 

The  Double  Wheel,  Szmvelled  Axle  Control. — 
Where  the  front  end  of  the  tractor  frame  is  pivoted  to 
the  middle  of  the  axle,  the  latter  and,  hence  the  wheels, 
are  turned  to  the  right  or  left  by  chains  which  wind 
on  a  dnim  in  opposite  directions.     The  drum  is  rotated 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     127 

by  a  worm  on  the  steering  shaft  that  meshes  with  a 
spiral  gear  on  the  former.  When  the  steering  wheel 
is  turned  one  way  or  the  other  the  worm  gear  rotates 
the  drum  accordingly  and  the  chain  on  one  side  winds 
up  while  the  one  on  the  other  side  unwinds,  thus  turn- 
ing the  axle  and  the  wheels  either  way  as  desired. 
It  is  shown  in  Fig.  61. 

The  Double  Wheel,  Knuckle  Control. —  In  this  steer- 
ing arrangement  the  steering  wheel  works  either  a 


Fig.  61. —  Double  Wheel  Swivelled  Axle  Control 

worm  and  nut  gear  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  62,  or  a 
worm  and  sector  gear,  as  shown  at  B,  at  the  end  of 
the  steering  shaft.  Where  a  worm  and  nut  gear  is 
used  the  nut  is  moved  up  and  down  as  the  steering 
shaft  is  turned  by  the  steering  wheel. 

Where  a  worm  and  nut  gear  is  used  one  end  of  an 
arm  is  fixed  to  the  nut,  see  A,  and  the  other  end  of 
the  arm  is  pivoted  to  the  drag-link,  which,  as  described 
under  the  heading  of  The  Knuckle  and  Axle  Assembly, 
and  shown  at  C  in  Fig.  59^  is  connected  with  the  steer- 


128    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

ing  arm  of  the  knuckle.  Now  when  the  steering  wheel 
is  turned  the  worm  on  the  end  of  the  steering  shaft 
screws  the  nut  on  it  up  or  down ;  this  raises  or  lowers 
the  nut  which  pulls  up  or  presses  down  the  arm  that  is 
connected  with  the  drag  link  and  this  turns  the  steering 
knuckles  too  and  fro. 

But  where  the  worm  and  sector  gear  is  used  the 


A  'WORM  AND  NUT  GEAR 

Fig.  62A. —  Kinds  of  Steering  Gears 


worm  on  the  end  of  the-  steering  shaft  turns  the 
toothed  sector  which  is  a  section,  or  arc,  of  a  spur- 
gear;  as  this  carries  an  arm  that  is  connected  with 
the  drag  link,  when  the  steering  shaft  is  turned  the 
worm  screws  the  toothed  sector  around  and  this  forces 
the  drag  link  forth  and  back  which  turns  the  steer- 
ing knuckles,  and,  consequently,  the  wheels,  as  I  have 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     129 


B  -  WORM  AND  SaCTOR.  GEAR 
Fig.  62B. —  Kinds  of  Steering  Gears 

described    above.     The    arrangement    is     shown    in 


Fig.  63. —  The  Worm  Steering  Gear  Coupled  to  the  Knuckle 
Assembly 


Line  Steering  Gear  Control. —  How  It  Is  Made. — 
In  the  Hne  controlled  Automotive  tractor  the  power 
to  steer  it,  that  is,  to  swing  the  front  wheels  around, 


130    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

is  taken  from  the  camshaft  of  the  engine.  From  the 
camshaft  the  power  is  deHvered  by  means  of  a  pair  of 
bevel  gears  to  a  splined  shaft  and  on  this  are  two  cone 
clutches  with  a  collar  between  them. 

A  shifting  fork,  which  is  held  in  place  by  a  groove 
in  the  collar,  keeps  the  clutches  in  a  fixed  position 
through  a  pair  of  springs.  The  shifting  fork  has  a 
lever  fastened  to  one  end  of  it  and  which  works  at 
right  angles  to  it;  this  shifting  lever  is  connected  with 
the  clutch  operating  lever  which  ends  in  a  T  shaped 
head  and  the  driving  lines  are  fastened  to  the  extreme 
ends  of  the  T  cross-head  thus  making  it  possible  to 
steer  the  tractor  no  matter  what  position  the  clutch 
operating  lever  may  be  in. 

At  the  end  of  the  T  shaped  clutch  operating  lever 
is  fixed  an  8-tooth  ratchet  and  on  the  other  end  of 
the  shaft  which  carries  it  is  keyed  a  cam  having  four 
points,  thus  giving  eight  positions,  one  for  each  tooth 
in  the  rachet  and  one  for  each  space  between  the  teeth. 
The  clutch  lever  that  operates  on  this  cam,  is  con- 
nected with  a  dash-pot  ^  and  this  allows  the  clutch  to 
be  operated  at  a  speed  of  three  seconds  every  other 
time  the  lines  are  pulled  back. 

How  the  Line  Control  Works. —  The  first  four 
inches  of  pull  on  the  lines  retards  the  engine  speed 
while  the  rest  of  the  pull  operates  the  clutch,  and  every 
pull  alternately  throws  the  clutch  in  and  out  —  in  when 

1  A  dash-pot  is  a  device  to  prevent  the  too  sudden  motion  of  the 
clutch  lever.  It  is  usually  a  piston  working  in  a  cylinder  filled 
with  glycerine 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     131 

it  is  between  the  points  of  the  cam  and  out  when  it  is 
on  the  points. 

The  transmission  gears  are  shifted  by  the  use  of 
two  cams  in  the  same  way  that  the  clutch  is  worked 
and  while  a  third  line  is  recommended  by  the  makers 
for  shifting  the  gears  it  can,  however,  be  connected 


Fig.  64.— The  Automotive  Line  Steering  Control 


to  the  steering  lines  but  in  this  case  more  care  must 
be  taken  to  manipulate  them. 

The  cams  on  the  gear-shifting  device  work  together 
at  all  times  so  that  when  one  lever  is  being  operated 
the  other  is  held  in  place  and  the  arrangement  is  such 


132     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

that  one  lever  cannot  be  engaged  until  the  other  is 
in  a  neutral  position.  The  Automotive  line  controlled 
steering  gear  is  pictured  in  Fig.  64. 

The  Automatic  Guide  Wheel  Steering  Control. 
—  In  order  to  relieve  the  tractioneer  from  the  strain 


A  •  THE  FARMERS  S£Lf'CU/0£ 


Fig.  65A. —  Kinds  of  Self-Guides 


of  having  to  constantly  steer  the  tractor  in  a  straight 
line  when  plowing  an  automatic  guide,  or  self-guide, 
as  it  is  sometimes  called,  which  can  be  attached  to  any 
tractor,  is  often  used.  The  farmer's  guide  is  simply  a 
piece  of  bent  pipe  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  65. 

The  guide,  which  is  shown  at  B,  where  one  wheel 


THE  xMECHANISiM  OF  A  TRACTOR     133 

is  used,  and  at  C  where  two  wheels  are  used,  is  formed 
of  a  frame  whose  rear  end  is  connected  with  the  front 
axle  and  a  disk  furrow  wheel  attached  to  the  front 
end  of  the  frame.  The  disk  wheel  drops  into  and 
follows  the  furrow  and  so  keeps  the  tractor  straight. 


-r//£^    SeCf^'GUfDE  ATTACHMENr  FOR 
A  5/NGLE  FRONT  WHEEL  TRACTOR  . 

Fig.  65B. —  Kinds  of  Self-Guides 


but  when  you  come  to  the  end  and  want  to  turn 
round  or  to  move  from  one  place  to  another,  pull 
upon  the  rope  and  this  lifts  the  disk  from  the  ground. 
How  Crawler  Tractors  are  Steered. —  There  are 
two  schemes  used  for  steering  crawler  tractors, 
namely,  those  that  are  ( i )  steered  by  one  or  two  front 
wheels  and  those  that  are  (2)  steered  by  the  crawlers 


134     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

themselves.  Tractors  having  wheels  and  crawlers 
are  steered  by  the  same  kind  of  a  steering  gear  as 
the  four  wheel  tractors,  but  with  tractors  having 
crawlers  only  the  method  of  steering  is  quite  different. 
In  a  tractor  where  crawlers  are  the  only  traction 
members  used  they  are  operated  independently  of  each 


C  -THE  SELF'GU/D€  'ATTACHM£NT 
FOR  A  DOUBLE  F/^QA/T  h/HEEL  FRACrO^ 

Fig.  65c. —  Kinds  of  Self-Guides 


other  and,  hence,  to  turn  the  tractor  one  crawler  is 
disconnected  from  the  driving  gear  and  the  power  is 
applied  only  to  the  other  one.  When  this  action  takes 
place  the  shaft  that  drives  the  crawler  runs  twice  as 
fast  as  when  both  crawlers  are  working  together. 

In  some  tractors  one  crawler  can  be  reversed  while 
the  other  is  running  ahead  and  in  this  way  the  tractor 
can  be  turned  almost  in  its  own  length.  The  diagram 
at  A  in  Fig.  66  will  give  you  an  idea  of  how  the  crawl- 


THE  MECHANISM  OF  A  TRACTOR     135 


1^ 


7,1" 


3 


'•^i — 


D/ACAAM  <?/•  CAAWLiR  CLUTCH  STEER/NG 
0£AR 

Fig.  66a. —  How  a  Crawler  Tractor  Steering  Gear  Is  Made 
AND  Works 


3re£»nvc  ciurcft 


SeVtL  CiA* 


CAS£ 


Sree^/Afe  euortH 

SHAfT    THAl/Sr 
'OCCAM 


Mousi»fv  s^*m 

PtMlOM 


Fig.  66b.— Clutch  Steering  Gear  of  a  Holt-Caterpillar  40-60 


136     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

ers  are  worked,  either  together,  or  separately,  by  means 
of  clutches.  To  steer  the  tractor  the  clutch  is  released 
on  the  shaft  toward  the  side  you  want  the  tractor  to 
turn  and  thrown  in  on  the  other  side.  B  shows  the 
steering  clutch  mechanism  of  a  Holt  Caterpillar  40-60 
mounted  on  a  separate  drive  shaft. 


ABOUT  THE  BRAKES 

There  are  two  kinds  of  brakes  used  on  tractors  and 

rty WHEEL 


Contracting-^ 
QLUrCH 


HANDLE  fOJijL^ 

A  -  THE    TRANSMISS/ON  BRAKE 

Fig.  67A. —  The  Transmission  Brake 

these  are   (i)   the  transmission  brake  and   (2)   the 
emergency  brake. 

The  Transmission  Brake, —  This  brake  is  used  to 


THE  MECHANlSiM  OF  A  TRACTOR     137 

keep  the  transmission  gears  from  spinning  after  you 
have  released  the  clutch,  otherwise  you  would  have  to 
wait  for  them  to  stop  before  you  shift  the  gears. 
In  some  tractors  it  is  simply  a  block  of  wood  that 


1^'THE  £MERCe/\fCy 6/^AK£  OA/ A  TWIN OTY 
TJ^ACTO/^ 

Fig.  67B. —  The  Emergency  Brake. 


presses  on  the  transmission  shaft  when  you  pull  the 
brake  lever,  while  in  others  it  is  a  cup  and  cone  or  a 
band  clutch  that  is  automatically  applied  when  you  re- 
lease the  transmission  clutch.  It  is  shown  at  A  in 
Fig.  67. 

The  Emergency  Brake. —  This  brake  usually  con- 
sists of  a  contracting  band  that  grips  a  drum  like  that 


138  FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

described  under  the  heading  of  the  Contracting  Band 
Clutch  in  Part  II,  Chapter  III,  on  Page  105. 

When  the  brake  is  used  the  band  is  looped  around 
a  brake  drum  which  is  fastened  to  the  low  speed  shaft 
that  drives  the  bull  gears.  One  end  of  the  contract- 
ing band  is  fixed  to  the  frame  of  the  tractor  and  the 
other  end  is  connected  to  a  lever  pivoted  to  a  shaft 
which  is  connected  either  with  a  hand  brake  lever 
or  a  foot  pedal.     It  is  shown  at  B  in  Fig.  d/. 


CHAPTER  IV 
GARDEN  AND  TRUCK  FARM  TRACTORS 

When  Edison  said  that  the  horse  is  the  "poorest 
motor  ever  built  "  he  missed  the  point  by  just  one 
notch  for  of  all  the  power  producers,  either  animal, 
or  mechanical,  man  is  by  long  odds  the  worst  of  the 
lot. 

But  nature  never  intended  that  man  should  do 
manual  work  any  more  than  she  intended  him  to  grow 
wings  and  fly;  but  to  make  up  for  the  lack  of  these 
physical  attributes  he  was  given  a  creative  brain  and 
slowly,  but  surely,  he  made  use  of  it  to  devise  machines 
to  do  his  work,  just  as  he  finally  made  a  machine 
which  enabled  him  to  soar  the  empyrean  blue. 

With  the  advent  of  the  internal  combustion  engine 
the  trend  of  the  times  was  to  do  away  with  the  horse 
as  a  means  of  transportation  and  it  followed,  in  the 
natural  course  of  events,  that  a  machine  should  be 
built  which  would  not  only  do  all  the  heavy  work  a 
horse  can  do  on  the  farm  but  a  lot  of  other  things 
the  horse  was  not  designed  to  do.  Then  a  brilliant 
idea  was  developed  in  the  convoluted  mass  of  the 
cranium  of  some  super-intelligent  genius  who  wanted 
to  make  some  money  and  he  devised  a  small  walking 

139 


140    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

tractor  which  would  all  but  eliminate  man  as  a  power 
factor  in  the  cultivation  of  his  little  lands,  and  here 
it  is  in  all  its  variations. 

What  the  Garden  Tractor  Is. — A  garden  tractor 
is  a  miniature  tractor  modeled  along  the  lines  of  its 
big  brother,  the  farm  tractor,  but  instead  of  riding 
on  it  the  tractioneer  walks  behind  it  and  instead  of 
steering  it  with  a  wheel,  levers  or  lines,  he  simply 
guides  it  by  a  pair  of  projecting  handles  in  the  same 
way  that  he  would  do  with  a  horse-drawn  plow  or 
cultivator. 

Makes  of  Garden  Tractors. —  There  are  only  four 
or  five  garden  tractors  on  the  market  at  the  present 
writing  and  all  of  them  are  made,  work  and  operate 
in  practically  the  same  way.  In  other  words,  the  de- 
sign of  garden  tractors  is  pretty  well  standardized 
though  all  of  them  differ  in  details  of  construction  as 
well  as  in  height,  width  and  wheel-base,  the  size  and 
power  of  the  engine,  the  cooling  and  ignition  systems 
and,  finally,  in  the  price. 

The  Merry  Garden  Auto  Cultivator. —  This 
garden  tractor  is  the  smallest  and  cheapest  one  made 
and  it  is  intended  for  the  home  garden  more  than 
it  is  for  the  truck  garden.  It  is  made  by  the  Atlantic 
Machine  and  Manufacturing  Co.,  429  Prospect  Avenue, 
S.  W.,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  it  sells  for  $185  ^  with- 
out attachments. 

Ho7v  it  is  Made. —  First  of  all  it  has  only  two  trac- 
tion members  and  both  of  these  are  drive  wheels;  as 
1  All  prices  given  in  this  book  are  subject  to  change. 


GARDEN  TRACTORS 


141 


they  also  serve  to  support  the  tractor  it  must  be  kept 
in  the  proper  position  by  the  tractioneer.  This  is  done 
by  means  of  a  pair  of  plow-Hke  handles  that  are  fixed 
to  the  frame.     It  is  shown  at  A  and  B  in  Fig.  68. 

The  wheels  have  a  3-inch  face,  though  wheels  hav- 
ing a  5-inch  face  can  be  used  for  sandy  soils,  but  in 
either  case  they  are  20  inches  in  diameter.     As  there 


2  N  f>  e/vciive 


Fig.  68a. —  The  Merry  Garden  Tractor  Dissected 


are  only  two  wheels  100  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of 
the  tractor  rests  on  them  and  as  it  weighs  250  pounds 
this  gives  it  a  fair  traction  resistance.  The  clearance 
is  9  inches  to  the  axle  and  it  straddles  a  row  that  is 
12  inches  wide. 

The  engine  is  of  the  vertical  type,  has  one  cylinder 
and  when  running  at  its  normal  speed,  which  is  900 
revolutions  per  minute,  it  develops  about  i  draw-bar 
and  2  belt  horse  power.  It  has  the  splash  system  of 
lubrication  and  is  water  cooled  by  the  thermo-siphon 


142     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

system;  a  5  quart  cylindrical  water  tank  is  mounted 
above  the  wheels  and  is  connected  to  the  jacket  of  the 
engine  cylinder  by  a  couple  of  short  lengths  of  pipe, 
but  the  action  is  exactly  like  that  of  a  hopper  water 
cooled  engine. 

The  fuel  used  is  gasoline  and  the  tank,  which  also 


rf^ 


^^i 


Fig.  68b. —  Cultivating  Beets  with  the  Merry  Garden 
Tractor 


holds  5  quarts,  is,  likewise,  mounted  on  top  of  the 
tractor  and  parallel  with  the  water  tank.  The  tractor 
will  run  from  4  to  8  hours  on  a  gallon  of  gasoline 
depending  on  the  work  it  is  doing.  A  magneto  system 
of  ignition  is  used  to  fire  the  fuel  charge  in  the  cylin- 
ders. 


GARDEN  TRACTORS  143 

The  handles  are  adjustable  so  that  they  can  be  held 
by  a  boy  or  a  man.  On  the  right  handle  there  is  a 
control  lever  which  gives  a  change  of  speed,  and  on 
the  left  there  is  a  clutch  control  lever  so  that  the  drive 
wheels  can  be  thrown  into  or  out  of  gear  with  the 
engine. 

The  Draw-bar  Pull. —  The  tools  that  can  be  used 
with  this  little  tractor  are  (i)  sl  4-inch  plow,  (2)  a  4- 
inch  double  moldboard  plow,  (3)  a  covering  plow, 
(4)  a  pair  of  hoes,  (5)  a  rake,  (6)  narrow  or  wide 
cultivator  teeth,  (7)  a  three  prong  cultivator,  (8)  disk 
hoes,  (9)  an  onion  digger,  and  (10)  a  lawn  mower 
with  30-inch  knives  can  also  be  fitted  to  it. 

The  speed  of  the  tractor  when  used  as  a  cultivator 
is  about  120  feet  per  minute  and  this  is  just  about 
equal  to  the  work  that  four  men  can  do  with  hand 
cultivators. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  engine  has  a  power 
take  off  and  where  it  is  wanted  a  pulley  is  furnished 
by  the  company  at  a  small  extra  cost.  The  engine 
can  then  be  used  to  operate  a  churn,  separator,  saw 
and  other  small  contrivances. 

The  Beeman  Garden  Tractor. —  This  tractor  is 
made  to  do  the  work  in  a  truck  garden  that  is  usually 
done  with  a  horse.  It  is  built  by  the  Beeman  Garden 
Tractor  Co.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  it  is  sold  for 
$285. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  traction  members  of  this 
tractor  consist  of  two  drive  wheels  with  a  face  of  3H 
inches  and  a  diameter  of  25  inches.     It  is  ordinarily 


144    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

equipped  as  a  lift  tractor  but  large  castor  wheels  can 
be  used  to  sustain  the  rear-end  weight,  and  where 
the  ground  is  rough  they  can  be  extended  on  either 
side  of  the  tractor.  Where  the  drive  wheels  only  are 
used  loo  per  cent,  of  the  weight  rests  on  them,  of 
course,  but  where  the  castor  support  wheels  are  used 
the  weight  on  the  drive  wheels  is  about  80  per  cent. 


Fig.  69. —  The  Beeman  Garden  Tractor 


The  tractor  is  17  inches  wide,  39  inches  high  and 
weighs  about  537  pounds  and  this  is  sufficiently  heavy 
to  insure  a  good  traction  resistance.  The  highest  ad- 
justment of  the  draw-bar  is  1 1  inches  and  the  lowest 
is  9  inches,  while  the  straddle  is  1 1  inches. 

You  steer  the  tractor  by  means  of  a  pair  of  handles 


GARDEN  TRACTORS  145 

and  on  the  right  hand  is  a  lever  that  controls  the 
throttle  which  you  work  with  your  thumb  and  fore- 
finger, while  on  the  left  hand  one  is  the  clutch  lever 
which  you  can  release  with  your  little  finger  as  shown 
at  A  in  Fig.  dp. 

The  engine  has  a  single  cylinder  and  is  of  the  verti- 
cal type  and  when  it  is  connected  to  the  drive  wheels 
it  will  develop  i^  horse  power  at  the  draw-bar  and 
deliver  4  horse  power  at  the  belt.  It  runs  at  a  speed 
of  from  230  to  2,000  revolutions  per  minute,  depend- 
ing on  the  amount  of  fuel  that  you  give  it,  but  its 
nonnal  speed  is  1,250  revolutions  per  minute.  A 
gallon  of  gasoline  will  run  the  engine  when  working 
in  the  field  for  about  5  hours  and  on  the  belt  for 
about  7  hours. 

The  engine  is  lubricated  by  the  splash  system  and 
it  is  cooled  by  the  thermo-syphon  system,  the  water 
being  forced  through  a  large  cellular  radiator  on  the 
front  of  the  tractor.  The  gasoline  is  fed  to  the 
carburetor  by  the  gravity  feed  system  from  a  i  gallon 
tank  that  sets  above  the  engine  while  a  high  tension 
magneto  ignition  system  is  used  to  fire  the  fuel 
charge. 

The  Draw-bar  Pull. —  The  cultivator  attachments 
that  can  be  used  by  hitching  them  to  the  tractor  are  ( i ) 
a  7-inch  plow,  (2)  a  6-inch  harrow,  or  an  8-blade,  12- 
inch  disk  harrow,  (3)  sweeps,  (4)  disks,  (5)  a  knife 
weeder,  (6)  disk  hoes,  (7)  diamond  pointed  shovel, 
(8)  a  corn  shovel,  (9)  a  spring  tooth  for  cultivating, 
(10)  beet  hoes,  (11)  a  bull  tongue,   (12)   an  onion 


Fig.  70A.— Some  Tools  Used  with  Garden  Tractors 
146 


GARDEN  TRACTORS 


147 


digger,  etc.,  and  all  of  which  are  shown  at  A  and  B 
in  Fig.  yo. 

Any  ordinary  one-horse  plow  can  be  used  by  taking 
off  the  handles  and  clevis  and  hitching  it  to  the  tool 
frame  of  the  tractor.     When  the  plow  is  hitched  up 


^££r    HOES 


SHOVEL 


BULL 
TONCUE 


Fig.  70B. —  Some  Tools  Used  with  Garden  Tractors 


right  it  will  give  not  only  the  depth  and  width  you 
want  but  when  it  is  properly  adjusted  the  tractor 
will  hold  to  the  furrow  and  you  have  only  to  follow 
along  until  you  come  to  a  corner  and  then  turn  it. 

To  take  the  plow  from  the  ground  you  simply  lift 
up  on  the  handles  of  the  tractor  and  this  raises  the 


148    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

point  of  the  plow  when  it  quickly  comes  lo  the  sur- 
face; a  latch  catches  and  holds  the  plow  up  and  it 
will  then  slide  on  its  heel  along  the  ground.  When 
you  want  to  plow  again  all  you  have  to  do  to  start  the 
point  into  the  ground  is  to  pull  up  a  small  trip  chain 
which  is  fastened  to  the  spring  latch  and  this  brings 
it  at  an  angle  so  that  it  will  dig  in  and  it  will  go  in 
to  whatever  depth  you  adjust  it  for. 

The  speed  of  the  tractor  when  plowing  is  from  % 
to  2%  miles  per  hour  depending  on  the  soil  and  it 
only  takes  about  2  gallons  of  gasoline  to  plow  right 
along  for  10  hours. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  Beeman  tractor  will  do 
anything  in  the  way  of  belt  work  that  any  four  horse 
power  engine  will  do  and,  different  from  a  stationary 
engine,  it  will  do  it  anywhere. 

With  the  power  take  off  you  can  run  a  feed  grinder, 
pump-jack,  washing  machine,  milking  machine,  cream 
separator,  fanning  mill,  onion  topper,  feed  cutter, 
circular  saw,  corn  sheller,  grindstone,  emery  wheel, 
and  even  a  small  electric  lighting  plant. 

The  Universal  1-4.9  Tractor. —  This  truck  garden 
tractor  is  a  little  bigger  all  round  than  the  tractor 
just  described  and,  consequently,  it  will  do  work  that 
is  proportionately  heavier.  It  is  built  by  the  Elder- 
fields  Mechanics  Co.,  Port  Washington,  Long  Island, 
New  York,  and  costs  $425. 

Hoiv  it  is  Made. —  The  Universal  garden  tractor  has 
three  traction  members,  two  drive  wheels  in  front  and 
one  small  support  wheel  in  the  rear.     The  drive  wheels 


GARDEN  TRACTORS  149 

are  36  inches  in  diameter,  have  a  5-inch  face  and  75 
per  cent,  of  the  weight  rests  on  them.  It  has  a  length 
of  84  inches,  a  width  of  33%  inches,  a  height  of  42 
inches  and  it  weighs  750  pounds.  Further,  it  has  a 
wheel-base  of  84  inches,  a  clearance  of  12  inches  and 
a  turning  radius  of  2  feet.  It  is  steered  by  a  pair 
of  handles  while  the  clutch  is  operated  and  the  fuel 
supply  is  controlled  by  levers  on  the  former. 


Fig.  71. —  The  Universal  Garden  Tractor 

The  engine  is  of  the  vertical  type,  has  a  single 
cylinder  with  a  3^^  by  5-inch  bore  and  it  runs  at  a 
normal  speed  of  800  revolutions  per  minute  but  it 
can  be  run  at  from  500  to  1,000  revolutions  per  minute 
by  giving  it  less  or  more  gas.  It  is  lubricated  by  the 
splash  system,  has  a  gravity  feed  fuel  system  and  either 
gasoline  or  kerosene  can  be  used  while  its  fuel  tank 
will  hold  4  gallons. 

It  is  cooled  by  the  thermo-syphon  system,  has   a 


150    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

cellular  radiator  and  a  fan.  A  storage  battery  cir- 
cuit breaker  system  is  used  to  fire  the  fuel  charge  and 
hence  you  must  have  an  electric  lighting  circuit  to 
charge  the  battery  with.  Finally,  the  crankshaft  of 
the  engine  is  connected  to  the  drive  axle  by  means 
of  a  worm  and  gear  and  this  gives  the  tractor  one 
speed  forward  though  this  can  be  varied  by  making 
the  engine  run  faster  or  slower.  It  is  shown  in 
Fig.  71. 

The  Draw-bar. —  The  Universal  has  a  normal  draw- 
bar pull  of  200  pounds  and  it  will  pull  one  lo-inch 
plow.  The  draw-bar  is  fixed  to  the  tractor  13  inches 
from  the  ground  and  the  plow  is  hitched  to  it  between 
the  drive  wheels  and  the  support  wheel.  All  the  other 
attachments  cited  above  for  the  Beeman  tractor,  only 
on  a  somewhat  larger  scale,  can  be  used  with  this 
tractor.  It  can  be  used  not  only  in  gardens  but  to 
clean  up  the  corners  of  a  big  farm  where  a  large  tractor 
cannot  go. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  has  a  2-inch 
face  and  is  5%  inches  in  diameter  and  it  will  deliver 
4  horse  power  when  the  engine  is  running  at  its  normal 
speed  of  800  revolutions  per  minute  and  more  when  it 
is  running  faster.  It  will,  of  course,  run  all  kinds  of 
belt  machinery  that  does  not  take  in  excess  of  4  horse 
power. 

The  Auto-Tiller.—  This  tractor  is  built  right  along 
the  lines  of  the  one  just  described,  but  it  is  a  trifle 
larger,  is  better  equipped  and  will  take  the  place  of 
a  team  of  horses  on  the  farm.     It  is  made  by  the  World 


GARDEN  TRACTORS 


151 


^Harvester  Corporation,  New  York  City,  and  its  price 
is  $465. 

How  it  is  Made. —  It  has  two  drive  wheels  36  inches 
in  diameter  with  a  5-inch  face  and  a  pair  of  small 
support  wheels  in  the  rear.  Its  wheel-base  is  36  inches 
and  70  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  tractor  rests 
on  the  drive  wheels,  while  its  turning  radius  is  6  feet. 
Its  length  is  115  inches  over  all,  its  width  is  40  inches, 
its   height  46   inches   and   its   weight    1,150   pounds. 


Fig.  72. —  The  Auto-Tiller  Garden  Tractor 

Finally,  it  is  steered  by  means  of  handles  and  its  clutch 
and  throttle  are  controlled  by  levers  on  them.  This 
tractor  is  pictured  in  Fig.  ^2. 

The  engine  is  of  the  vertical  type,  has  one  cylinder 
whose  bore  is  5  x  7  inches  and  develops  4.9  horse 
power.  It  is  lubricated  by  the  splash  system,  has  a 
tubular  radiator  and  is  cooled  by  the  pump  circulating 
system  and  a  fan.  Either  the  magneto  or  the  storage 
battery  circuit  breaker  system  is  used  for  ignition  ac- 
cording to  your  preference.     When  the  latter  is  used 


152    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

don't  forget  that  the  battery  requires  constant  care 
and  must  be  kept  charged  and  that  it  takes  an  electric 
light  current  to  do  it  with. 

The  crankshaft  of  the  engine  is  connected  to  the 
final  drive,  which  is  of  the  worm  and  gear  type,  by 
a  contracting  band  clutch,  and  a  sliding  gear  transmis- 
sion. The  tractor  has  two  speeds  forward,  namely, 
1%  and  3  miles  per  hour. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar  of  this  tractor 
is  fixed  to  the  frame  15  inches  above  the  ground.  It 
has  a  normal  draw-bar  pull  of  975  pounds  and  it  will 
in  consequence  pull  one  14-inch  plow.  The  plow  is 
hitched  to  the  draw-bar  between  the  drive  wheels  and 
the  support  wheels.  All  the  farm  implements  that  a 
team  of  horses  can  pull  can  be  used  as  well  or  better 
with  this  tractor.  It  can  be  hitched  to  a  light  riding 
plow  when  the  tractioneer  can  ride  and  this  puts  it 
very  closely  in  the  class  of  the  regular  farm  tractor. 
Under  such  conditions  it  has  a  speed  of  about  2  miles 
per  hour. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  As  the  engine  develops 
5  horse  power,  nearly,  it  can  be  used  for  all  manner 
of  light  belt  work. 


CHAPTER  V 
TRACTORS  FOR  SMALL  FARMS 

With  the  idea  of  meeting  the  demand  for  a  tractor 
that  would  permit  it  to  be  used  economically  on  a  small 
farm  a  few  manufacturers  are  making  a  one-plow 
machine  that  sells  at  a  low  price. 

The  specifications  which  I  have  given  in  this  chapter 
cover  all  of  the  tractors  that  I  know  of  whose  makers 
recommend  their  use  Avith  a  single  plow.  As  you  will 
see  these  tractors  take  on  a  wide  diversity  of  design 
and  construction  in  the  efforts  of  the  builders  to  pro- 
vide a  machine  that  shall  at  once  be  useful  for  all  the 
varied  purposes  of  farm  work,  easily  handled,  have 
good  wearing  qualities  and,  last  but  not  least,  have  a 
low  initial  cost. 

How  well  they  have  succeeded  may,  in  a  measure, 
be  gathered  from  the  text  that  follows  but  never  was 
the  ancient  Roman  expression,  which  tells  us  that  the 
"  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,"  so  thoroughly 
exemplified  as  in  the  tractor,  and  especially  in  the  one- 
plow  tractor,  for  about  the  only  way  to  actually  find 
out  how  well  it  is  adapted  to  your  needs  is  to  buy  one 
and  try  it  out  yourself. 

The  Indiana  5-10  Tractor. —  This  is  a  new,  light 

153 


154    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

weight  and  inexpensive  tractor.  It  is  designed  to  take 
the  place  of  a  team  of  horses  and  to  do  all  manner  of 
light  belt  work.  It  is  made  by  the  Indiana  Silo  Com- 
pany, of  Anderson,  Ind.,  and  it  sells  for  $900. 

How  it  is  Made.  The  Traction  Gear. —  The  frame 
of  this  tractor  is  built  up  of  structural  steel,  the  front 
axle  is  drop-forged  and  the  frame  is  rigidly  fixed  to 
it.     A  live  rear  axle  is  used  and  both  axles  are  roller 


Fig.  73.— The  Indiana  5-10  Tractor 

bearing.  The  drive  wheels  are  in  front  and  these 
are  50  inches  in  diameter  and  have  a  12-inch  face  while 
the  two  rear  wheels  are  36  inches  in  diameter  and  have 
a  4-inch  face.  The  wheel-base  is  62  inches  and  the 
turning  radius  is  7  feet. 

The  Indiana  has  a  length  of  212  inches,  a  width  of 
54  inches,  a  height  of  60  inches  and  it  weighs  2,000 
pounds,  of  which  95  per  cent,  is  on  the  drive  members. 
The  height  of  the  draw-bar,  which  is  swivelled,  is 
28  inches  and  the  clearance  at  the  lowest  point  is  26 
inches. 


TRACTORS  FOR  SMALL  FARMS     15^ 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type  with  four  cyHnders,  the  bore  of  which  is  3%  by 
4V2  inches,  has  an  L  head  and  is  cast  in  block.  ^  Its 
normal  speed  is  950  r.  p.  m.  It  has  an  enclosed  cen- 
trifugal governor  to  control  the  speed  of  the  engine. 

The  engine  is  lubricated  by  the  force  feed  system  and 
a  plunger  pump  keeps  the  oil  in  circulation.  The  cool- 
ing scheme  includes  a  cellular  radiator  and  the  water  is 
kept  in  circulation  by  the  thermo-siphon  system  and  a 
ball-bearing,  belt-driven  fan.  Gasoline  is  the  fuel  used 
and  this  is  delivered  by  the  gravity  system  from  a  12- 
gallon  tank  to  the  carburetor.  An  air  cleaner  is  at- 
tached to  the  inlet  of  the  carburetor  and  the  exhaust 
gases  heat  the  air  before  it  enters  the  mixing  chamber. 

A  dual  system  of  ignition  is  used  and  this  includes 
the  battery  and  circuit  breaker  system  and  a  mag- 
neto. 

TJie  Transmission  System. —  This  is  made  up  of  a 
disk  clutch,  an  enclosed  sliding  gear  transmission,  with 
ball  bearings,  which  gives  four  speeds  forward  and  one 
reverse  and  a  range  of  speeds  from  i^4  to  4  miles  per 
hour.  The  differential  is  enclosed,  has  beveled  gears 
and  is  ball  bearing,  while  the  final  drive  is  by  means  of  a 
chain  and  sprocket.  All  the  gears  are  made  of  steel, 
are  machined  and  heat  treated.     It  is  shown  in  Fig.  /J. 

The  Draw-bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull  of 
this  tractor  is  900  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  pulley  has  a  diameter  of 
7  inches  and  a  face  of  6V2  inches,  and  when  the  engine 

1  From  the  French  en  bloc  which  means  all  in  one  piece. 


156    FARxM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

is  running  at  1,200  r.  p.  m.,  it  will  deliver  10  horse 
power. 

The  General  Purpose  6-12  Tractor. —  To  pro- 
duce a  tractor  that  would  do  all  the  work  on  a  small 
farm  the  Allis-  Chalmers  Manufacturing  Co.,  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  put  the  General  Purpose  tractor  on  the 
market.     Its  price  is  $795. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Traction  Gear. —  This 
tractor  has  three  traction  members,  two  of  which  are 
drive  wheels  in  front  and  one  small  truck  wheel,  which 
can  be  taken  off,  in  the  rear.  The  drive  wheels  have 
a  6-inch  face  and  a  diameter  of  48  inches  and  these 
are  keyed  to  a  stub  axle  the  bearings  of  which  are 
plain.  The  width  of  the  tractor  is  54  inches,  its 
height  72  inches  and  its  weight  is  2,100  pounds  while 
the  weight  on  the  drive  wheels  is  90  per  cent.  It  is 
steered  by  turning  the  drive  wheels. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  has  four  cylinders  with  a  bore  of  3%  by  4% 
inches,  and  an  L  head  which  is  removable.  The  normal 
revolutions  per  minute  of  the  engine  is  1,000  and  at  this 
speed  it  develops  12  horse  power.  The  engine  is  also 
fitted  with  a  centrifugal  governor  to  keep  the  speed 
of  the  engine  uniform. 

The  splash  system  of  lubrication  is  used  and  the  oil  is 
poured,  into  the  reservoir  as  it  is  needed.  The  cool- 
ing scheme  includes  a  tubular  radiator  through  which 
the  water  is  kept  circulating  by  the  thermo-siphon 
system  while  a  belt  driven  fan  pulls  the  air  through  the 
radiator.     The  magneto  system  is  used  for  ignition. 


TRACTORS  FOR  SMALL  FARMS     157 

The  fuel  recommended  is  gasoline  and  this  is  fed  by 
gravity  from  a  9  gallon  tank  while  a  dry  air  cleaner 
is  fixed  to  the  carburetor. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  that  con- 
nects the  engine  to  the  transmission  gears  is  of  the 
dry  plate  type.  The  transmission,  or  gear-set,  has 
sliding  gears  and  this  gives  the  tractor  one  speed  for- 
ward and  one  reverse.  To  vary  the  tractor  speed  the 
governor  must  be  adjusted  to  give  a  different  engine 


Fig.  74. —  The  General  Purpose  Tractor 

speed.  Tractor  speeds  of  from  1%  to  2.8  m.  p.  h., 
can  thus  be  had. 

The  differential  gears  are  enclosed  and  these  trans- 
mit the  power  to  the  final  drive  which  is  of  the  in- 
ternal bull-gear  type.  The  gears  of  the  transmission 
and  differential  are  machined  and  heat  treated  and  the 
transmission  and  the  fan  are  ball  bearing.  Finally, 
the  steering  gear  is  of  the  worm  and  segment  type. 
A  picture  of  it  is  shown  in  Fig.  14. 

The  Drazv-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar  has  a  normal 
pull  of  1,000  pounds  at  a  speed  of  2^2  miles  per  hour. 


158     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Pozver  Take  Off. —  The  face  of  the  pulley  is 
^V-y  inches  and  its  diameter  is  10  inches.  It  is  driven 
from  the  crankshaft  by  a  gear  and  the  pulley  clutch 
is  of  the  dry  plate  type. 

The  E.  F.  T.  6-12  Crawler  Tractor.—  In  the  early 
days  of  tractor  building  the  crawler  was  made  only  in 
large  sizes  but  every  year  sees  smaller  crawlers  in  the 
market.  The  E,  F.  T.  6-12  is  the  smallest  crawler 
that  has  been  built  and  it  is  made  by  the  E.  F.  Town- 
send  Tractor  Company  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  It  sells 
for  $850. 

Hozv  it  is  Made. —  The  Traction  Gear. —  The  frame 
of  this  little  crawler  is  built  up  of  structural  steel. 
The  front  axle  is  drop  forged,  a  dead  drive  axle  is  used 
and  both  have  plain  bearings.  The  frame  is  mounted 
on  the  front  axle  on  a  semi-elliptic  spring. 

The  traction  members  consist  of  two  crawlers  each 
of  which  are  60  inches  long,  have  a  7-inch  face  and  a 
traction  surface  of  602  inches,  while  it  has  a  wheel 
base  of  43  inches  and  a  turning  radius  of  6  feet.  It 
is  steered  by  a  pair  of  levers  that  control  a  pair  of 
clutches  on  the  drive  shaft. 

The  length  of  the  tractor  is  85  inches,  it  has  a  width 
of  50  inches  and  it  weighs  2,000  pounds,  and  100  per 
cent,  of  it  is  on  the  crawlers.  It  has  an  adjustable 
draw-bar  that  can  be  varied  in  height  from  7  to  20 
inches  and  a  clearance  of  9  inches.  A  rear  extension 
provides  a  seat  for  the  tractioneer  and  this  is  sup- 
ported by  a  small  wheel  as  shown  in  Fig.  75. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  has  four  cylinders 


TRACTORS  FOR  SMALL  FARMS     159 

with  a  3%  by  4V2  inch  bore.  It  is  of  the  vertical  type, 
cast  in  block  and  has  an  L  head.  Its  normal  speed  is 
1,000  r.  p.  m.,  and  it  is  controlled  by  a  centrifugal 
governor. 

It  is  lubricated  by  the  force  feed  and  splash  system, 
the  oil  being  circulated  by  a  gear  pump.  The  cooling 
system  includes  a  cellular  radiator  and  the  water  is 
kept  in  circulation  by  the  thermo-siphon  system  with 


Fig.  75.— The  E.  F.  T.  6-12  Crawler  Tractor 

a  fan  to  aid  the  cooling  process.  Any  kind  of  liquid 
fuel  can  be  used  though,  of  course,  gasoline  or  kerosene 
is  to  be  preferred.  The  fuel  is  fed  by  the  gravity 
system  from  a  lo-gallon  tank  to  the  carburetor.  A 
dry  air  cleaner  is  attached  to  the  carburetor  and  the  ex- 
haust gases  are  used  to  heat  the  air  as  it  is  drawn  in  the 
latter. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
dry  plate  type  and  a  sliding  gear  transmission  provided 
with  roller  bearings  is  used.  There  is  no  differential 
and  the  final  drive  is  an  internal  gear.     The  gears 


i6o    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

throughout  are  made  of  carbon  steel,  machined  and 
heat  treated. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  This  tractor  has  a  normal 
draw-bar  pull  of  i,ooo  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  There  is  none. 

The  Cultitractor  2F-15. —  This  tractor  is  made  by 
the  United  Tractors  Company,  Inc.,  New  York  City, 
and  it  sells  for  $785. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Traction  Gear. —  The  frame 
of  the  Cultitractor  is  a  one-piece  casting,  the  front 
axle  is  drop  forged  and  a  live  rear  axle  is  used.  The 
front  traction  members  are  the  drive  wheels  and  these 
are  40  inches  in  diameter  with  an  8-inch  face,  while 
the  small  wheels  which  are  30  inches  in  diameter  have 
a  4-inch  face  and  these  support  the  rear  end  of  the 
frame.  The  wheel  base  is  90  inches  and  the  turning 
radius  is  4%  feet. 

The  length  of  the  tractor  is  120  inches,  its  width 
is  52  inches,  its  height  54  inches,  its  weight  2,300 
pounds  and  95  per  cent,  of  the  latter  rests  on  the 
drive  wheels.  The  draw-bar  can  be  adjusted  so  that 
it  is  16  to  20  inches  high  and  the  clearance  is  18 
inches. 

The  Pozver  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  has  four  cylinders,  with  a  bore  of  3/4  by  4% 
inches,  an  L  head  and  is  cast  in  block.  The  normal 
speed  of  the  engine  is  1,000  r.  p.  m.  and  this  is  con- 
trolled by  an  enclosed  governor  of  the  centrifugal 
type.  The  force  feed  and  splash  system  of  lubrication 
is  used.     The  cooling  apparatus   includes   a   cellular 


TRACTORS  FOR  SMALL  FARMS     161 

radiator  and  the  water  is  circulated  by  the  thermo- 
siphon  system  and  the  air  by  a  fan. 

Any  kind  of  Hquid  fuel  can  be  used  and  two  6-gallon 
tanks  are  provided  for  it,  one  for  gasoline  and  the 
other  for  kerosene.  The  fuel  is  fed  to  the  carburetor 
by  gravity  and  is  vaporized  by  the  heat  of  the  exhaust 
gases  carried  around  the  intake  manifold.  The  car- 
buretor is  fitted  with  a  dry  air  cleaner.  The  ignition 
is  by  the  high  tension  magneto  system. 


Fig.  ^(i. —  The  Cultitractor  7-15 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
dry  plate  type,  the  transmission  gears  give  two  speeds 
forward  and  i  reverse,  so  that  a  range  of  speeds  of 
from  I  ¥2  to  3  m.  p.  h.  can  be  had  without  changing 
the  adjustment  of  the  governor.  No  differential  is 
used  and  the  final  drive  is  by  an  internal  bull-gear. 
The  gears  are  made  of  cast  steel,  machined  and  case 
hardened  and  ball  bearings  are  used  throughout  the 
transmission  system.     It  is  shown  in  Fig.  /6. 


i62    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar  has  a  pull  of 
1,000  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  diameter  of  the  pulley 
is  8  inches  and  its  face  4  inches;  it  is  driven  by  a 
gear  from  the  crankshaft  and  its  normal  number  of 
revolutions  is  600  per  minute  when  it  will  deliver 
15  horse  power.  It  is  fitted  with  an  independent 
pulley  and  a  pulley  clutch  of  the  expanding  type. 

The  Little  Bear  4-8  Tractor.— This  is  a  four 
wheel  tractor  and  appears  to  be  a  Ford  frame,  and 
power  plant  set  on  tractor  members,  so  if  you  can  run 
a  Ford  car  you  can  run  this  tractor  without  further 
experience.  It  is  built  by  the  L.  A.  Auto  Tractor 
Company,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  and  it  sells  for  $850. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Tractor  Gear. —  The  frame 
is  built  up  of  pressed  steel,  the  front  axle  is  of  the 
knuckle  type  and  a  dead  rear  axle  is  used.  The  drive 
wheels  have  a  diameter  of  31  inches  and  all  of  the 
axle  bearings  are  plain.  The  wheel  base  is  50  inches 
and  its  turning  radius  is  10  feet. 

The  length  of  the  tractor  is  102  inches,  its  width 
is  58  inches  and  its  height  is  50  inches.  It  weighs 
1,600  pounds  and  75  per  cent,  of  the  weight  is  on  the 
drive  wheels.  It  has  the  regular  motor  car  type  of 
steering  gear  and  fuel  and  ignition  control. 

The  Pozver  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type  with  four  cylinders,  has  a  bore  3%  by  4  inches, 
an  L  head,  is  cast  in  block,  and  its  normal  speed  is 
900  r.  p.  m.  It  is  lubricated  by  the  splash  system. 
The  radiator  is  a  tubular  one  cooled  by  a  belt  driven 


TRACTORS  FOR  SMALL  FARMS     163 

fan  and  the  thermo-siphon  cooling  system  is  used. 
The  fuel  used  is  gasoline  fed  by  gravity  from  the  tank 
to  a  carburetor  which  is  fitted  with  a  dry  air  cleaner. 
The  ignition  is  the  low  tension  magneto  system  used 
on  all  Ford  cars..     It  is  shown  in  Fig.  //. 


Fig.  77. —  The  Little  Bear  4-8  Tractor  ' 

The  Transmission. —  This  is  the  Ford  planetary 
gear  transmission  and  it  gives  two  speeds  forward  and 
I  reverse.  The  differential  is  bevel  geared  and  en- 
closed while  the  final  drive  is  an  internal  bull-gear  and 
pinion. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  This  tractor  has  a  normal 
draw-bar  pull  of  800  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  There  is  none. 


CHAPTER  VI 
TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS 

By  the  term  average  farm  I  mean  one  that  is  not 
less  than  i6o  acres  or  more  than  240  acres  in  extent. 
The  economy  of  using  a  tractor  on  the  average  farm 
is  now  beyond  question  only  you  do  not  want  to  get 
the  idea  that  it  is  going  to  save  you  a  lot  of  money 
as  against  the  use  of  horses  but  what  it  will  do  is  to 
save  you  man-power  and  time. 

A  two-  or  three-plow  tractor  will  be  large  enough 
for  the  average  farm  providing  its  engine  will  develop 
enough  power  to  do  all  the  belt  work  required  of  it. 
There  are  only  some  25  makes  of  two-plow  tractors 
on  the  market  while  there  are  more  than  65  three- 
plow  tractors  and  a  dozen  or  so  that  are  recommended 
for  either  two  or  three  plows.  Obviously,  it  would  be 
impossible  within  the  scope  of  this  book  to  give  de- 
tailed specifications  of  all  of  them  but  what  I  shall 
do  is  to  describe  a  few  typical  tractors  and  at  the 
end  of  the  chapter  you  will  find  a  table  giving  the 
makers'  names  and  addresses  and  the  names  and  horse- 
power of  all  the  two,  three  and  two  and  three-plow 
tractors. 

164 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  165 

TWO  PLOW  TRACTORS 

The  Bean  Track-Pull,  6-10  Tractor.— This 
tractor  is  of  the  combined  wheel  and  crawler  type. 
It  is  made  by  the  Bean  Spray  Pump  Company,  of  San 
Jose,  Cal.,  and  the  price  is  $1,445. 

Hozi^  it  is  Made. —  The  Traction  Gear. —  This  part 
of  the  tractor  is  formed  of  a  single  crawler  in  front 
and  two  non-drive  wheels  in  the  rear.  The  frame 
is  cast  in  one  piece,  a  dead  drive  axle  is  used,  the  rear 
axle  is  cast  and  has  plain  bearings  and  the  front  sus- 
pension is  rigid. 

The  length  of  the  crawler  is  36  inches,  its  width, 
or  tread,  12  inches,  and  its  surface  area  432  square 
inches,  while  the  diameter  of  the  support  wheels 
is  26  inches  and  the  rim  face  6  inches.  The  tractor 
has  a  turning  radius  of  5  feet.  Its  length  over  all  is 
102  inches,  its  width  60  inches,  its  height  44  inches 
and  it  weighs  3,200  pounds,  85  per  cent,  of  which 
rests  on  the  crawler.     It  is  shown  in  Fig.  yS. 


Fig.  78.— Bean  Track  Pull  6-io  Tractor 


i66    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TR.\CTORS 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  has  four  cyHnders  cast  in  block  with  a  3/8  by 
4  Mi-inch  bore  and  an  L  head.  The  normal  number 
of  revolutions  of  the  crankshaft  is  1,250  per  minute, 
and  this  is  controlled  by  a  centrifugal  governor. 

It  is  lubricated  by  the  circulating  system  and  a 
plunger  pump  is  used  for  this  purpose.  A  cellular 
radiator  cools  the  water  and  this  is  kept  in  circula- 
tion by  a  centrifugal  pump,  while  a  belt  driven  fan 
pulls  the  air  through  the  radiator.  Distillate  is  the 
fuel  used  and  this  is  fed  by  gravity  from  the  tank 
to  the  carburetor.  The  intake  air  is  heated  by  the 
exhaust  gases  and  the  carburetor  is  fitted  with  a  dry 
air  cleaner.  The  cylinders  are  fired  by  a  high  tension 
magneto. 

The  Transmission  System. —  A  cone  clutch  and  a 
spur-gear  transmission  with  ball  bearings  is  employed ; 
the  transmission  gives  one  speed  forward  and  drives 
the  tractor  at  2  miles  an  hour.  Since  only  one  crawler 
is  used  no  differential  is  needed.  The  final  drive  is 
an  internal  bull-gear  and  pinion.  The  gears  are  made 
of  carbon  steel,  are  machined  and  heat-treated. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar  is  14  inches 
from  the  ground  and  the  tractor  has  a  normal  draw- 
bar pull  of  1,125  pounds,  which  is  roughly  approxi- 
mate to  7  h.  p.  wdien  pulling  at  a  speed  of  2%  m.  p.  h.^ 

^  The  pounds  draft  a  tractor  will  pull  differs  with  different 
speeds.  Thus  a  tractor  rated  at  8  draw-bar  horsepower  will  have 
a  draw-bar  pull  of  3,000  pounds  when  pulling  i  mile  per  hour 
whereas  it  will  only  have  a  draw-bar  pull  of  850  pounds  when 
pulling  3]/j  miles  per  hour.     See  Page  271. 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  167 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  diameter  of  the  belt 
pulley  is  12  inches  and  the  rim  face  is  4%  inches.  As 
it  is  driven  direct  from  the  crankshaft  its  normal 
speed  is  1,250  r.  p.  m. 

The  Cletrac,  12-20  Tractor. —  This  tractor  is  of 
the  true  crawler  type  and  it  was  formerly  called  The 
Cleveland  Tractor  hence  the  name  Cletrac.  It  is  made 
by  the  Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  sells  for  $1,585. 

Hoiv  it  is  Made. —  The  Tractor  Gear. —  The  frame 
of  this  tractor  is  built  up  of  structural  steel  and  the 
front  end  is  supported  by  semi-elliptical  springs.  The 
front  axle  is  roller  bearing,  and  the  rear  axle  is  dead 
while  the  drive  is  roller  bearing. 

It  is  96  inches  long,  50  inches  wide,  52  inches  high 
and  it  weighs  3,157  pounds  of  which,  naturally,  100 
per  cent,  rests  on  the  crawlers.  The  length  of  the 
crawlers  is  50  inches,  the  width  of  the  face  is  6%  inches 
and  the  traction  area  is  600  square  inches. 

The  Pozwr  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  has  four  cylinders,  the  bore  of  which  is  3%  by  5/4 
inches.  The  cylinders  have  the  valves-in-the-head,  are 
cast  in  block  and  the  normal  speed  of  the  engine  is 
1,200  which  is  controlled  by  a  centrifugal  governor. 

A  force  feed  lubricating  system  is  used  and  the 
oil  is  circulated  by  a  gear  pump.  A  tubular  radiator 
holds  the  cooling  water  and  this  is  kept  in  circula- 
tion by  a  gear  pump,  while  a  belt  driven  fan  pulls 
the  air  through  the  radiator.  Kerosene  is  the  fuel 
recommended  and  this  is  fed  from  a  12-gallon  tank 


i68    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

by  gravity  to  the  carburetor.  Both  the  air  intake  and 
the  inlet  manifold  are  heated  by  the  exhaust  gases. 
A  high  tension  magneto  is  used  for  the  ignition 
system. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
single  plate  type,  the  transmission  has  sliding  gears 
and  gives  one  speed  forward  and  one  reverse  while  the 
normal   speed   of   the  tractor   is   2^/i>   m.    p.   h.     The 


Fig.  79. —  The  Cletrac  12-20  Tractor 


transmission  shafts  are  ball  and  roller  bearing.  The 
differential,  which  is  used  in  this  crawler  tractor,  has 
spur-gears  and  is  ball  bearing,  while  the  final  drive 
is  an  enclosed  internal  bull-gear  and  pinion.  The 
gears  are  of  steel,  machined  and  heat  treated.  It  is 
shown  in  Fig.  /p. 

The  Draiv-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar  is  12  inches 
from  the  ground,  and  the  draw-bar  pull  of  the  tractor 
is  1,500  pounds,  or  roughly  equal  to  10  H.  P.  when 
plowing  at  a  speed  of  2^/l»  m.  p.  h. 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  169 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  is  8  inches 
in  diameter  and  6  inches  wide  and  since  it  is  driven 
direct  from  the  crankshaft  it  runs  at  the  normal  speed 
of  the  engine,  namely,  1,200  r.  p.  m. 

The  Fordson  12-22  Tractor. —  This  is  a  regula- 
tion four  wheel  tractor  and  is  built  by  Henry  Ford  and 
Son,  Inc.,  Dearborn,  Mich.     It  sells  for  $850. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Traction  Gear. —  The 
frame  of  this  tractor  is  built  up  of  structural  steel. 


Fig.  80. —  The  Fordson  12-22  Tractor 


The  front  axle  is  of  the  knuckle  type,  is  drop  forged 
and  has  ball  bearings.  The  rear  axle  is  live  and  has 
roller  bearings. 

The  diameter  of  the  drive  wheels  is  42  inches  and 
the  rim  face  is  12  inches;  the  wheel-base  is  67,  inches 
and  the  turning  radius  of  the  tractor  is  13  feet.  It 
has  a  length  of  102  inches,  a  width  of  60  inches,  a 
height  of  55  inches,  and  it  weighs  2,800  pounds,  with 
62^  per  cent,  of  the  weight  on  the  drive  wheels.  See 
Fig.  80. 


170     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  has  four  cyhnders  with  a  4  by  5-inch  bore,  cast 
in  block  and  an  L  valve  head,  and  its  normal  speed  is 
i,cxDO  r.  p.  m.  It  is  lubricated  by  the  splash  system 
and  cooled  by  a  radiator,  the  water  being  circulated 
by  the  thermo-siphon  system,  with  a  belt  driven  fan 
to  pull  the  air  through  the  radiator.  The  fuel  used 
is  kerosene  and  this  is  carried  from  its  tank  to  the 
carburetor  by  gravity,  while  water  is  injected  into  the 
cylinders  with  the  fuel  mixture.  The  inlet  manifold 
is  heated  by  the  exhaust  gases  and  the  carburetor 
has  a  water  air  cleaner  on  its  intake  pipe.  Finally, 
a  magneto  is  used  for  the  ignition  system. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
multiple  disk  type,  the  transmission  gears,  which  are 
ball  bearing,  are  enclosed,  and  have  3  speeds  forward 
and  I  reverse,  which  give  a  tractor  speed  of  1%  to 
7  m.  p.  h.  The  differential  has  beveled  gears  and  the 
final  drive,  which  is  enclosed,  is  of  the  worm  and 
gear  type.  The  gears  are  of  alloy  steel,  machined  and 
heat  treated. 

The  Draw-Bar  Ptdl. —  The  draw-bar  can  be  adjusted 
from  7  to  1 5  inches  from  the  ground  and  the  draw-bar 
pull  is  1,800  pounds,  or,  approximately  12  H.  P.  when 
pulling  a  plow  2%  m.  p.  h. 

The  Power  Take  0#.— The  diameter  of  the  belt 
pulley  is  whatever  you  want  it  to  be  and  its  rim  face 
6%  inches.  It  is  connected  to  the  engine  by  gears 
but  the  speed  is  the  same  as  the  engine  speed,  to  wit, 
1,000  r.  p.  m. 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  171 

THREE  PLOW  TRACTORS 

The  Austin,  15-30  Tractor. —  This  tractor  is  of 
the  true  crawler  type  and  is  manufactured  by  the  F.  C. 
Austin  Company,  Inc.,  of  Chicago,  Ills.  Its  price  is 
$1,800.  This  company  also  makes  a  20-40  horse 
power  crawler  that  pulls  from  four  to  six  plows  and  a 
75  to  120  horse  power  crawler  that  pulls  from  six  to 
twelve  plows. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Traction  Gear. —  The  frame 


Fig.  81.— The  Austin  15-30  Tractor 


is  built  up  of  structural  steel  and  has  a  coiled  spring 
suspension  in  front.  The  front  axle  is  drop  forged 
and  the  rear  axle  is  roller  bearing.  The  length  of  the 
crawlers  are  30  inches,  have  a  face  of  8  inches  and  a 
traction  area  of  800  square  inches.  The  turning  radius 
is  4  feet  and  it  is  steered  by  individual  clutches.  It  is 
shown  in  Fig.  81. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  eno^ine  is  of  the  vertical 


172    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

type,  has  four  cylinders  with  a  4  by  5-inch  bore,  an 
L  valve  head  and  it  has  a  normal  speed  of  1,000  r.  p.  m., 
which  is  controlled  by  a  centrifugal  governor. 

It  is  lubricated  by  the.  force  feed  system,  a  plunger 
pump  being  used  to  keep  the  oil  in  circulation.  The 
radiator  is  of  the  cellular  type,  the  water  is  kept 
in  circulation  by  a  centrifugal  pump,  and  a  belt  driven 
fan  is  used  back  of  the  radiator.  Kerosene  is  the  fuel 
recommended  and  this  is  contained  in  a  12-gallon 
tank.  It  is  fed  to  the  carburetor  by  gravity  and  the 
carburetor  is  fitted  with  a  dry  air  cleaner.  A  high 
tension  magneto  is  used  for  the  ignition  system  and 
the  magneto  is  equipped  with  an  impulse  starter.  Fig. 
81  is  a  picture  of  the  tractor. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
single  disk  type  and  is  ball  bearing.  The  transmis- 
sion is  of  the  sliding  gear  type,  has  2  speeds  forward 
and  I  reverse  which  gives  a  range  of  tractor  speeds 
of  from  2%  to  3%  m.  .p.  h.  The  differential,  which 
is  enclosed,  is  of  the  spur  gear  type  and  is  roller  bear- 
ing, while  the  final  drive  is  by  an  enclosed  chain.  The 
gears  are  of  carbon  steel,  machined  and  heat  treated. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar,  which  is 
swivelled,  is  1 7  inches  from  the  ground  and  the  tractor 
has  a  normal  draw-bar  pull  of  2,000  pounds,  which 
is  equivalent  to  about  14  H.  P.  when  pulling  2V'i  m.  p.  h. 

The  Power  Take  Off. — The  diameter  of  the  pulley 
is  8  inches  and  it  has  a  face  of  6  inches;  it  is  geared 
to  the  crankshaft  of  the  engine  and  its  normal  speed 
is  1,000  r.  p.  m. 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  173 

The  Andrews,  12-25  Tractor. —  This  is  a  good 
example  of  a  cheap  two-  or  three-plow  tractor.  It  is 
made  by  the  Andrezvs  Tractor  Company,  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  and  it  sells  for  $695. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Tractor  Gear. —  The  frame 
is  built  up  of  structural  steel  and  the  front  suspension 
is  fitted  with  coiled  springs.  The  front  axle  is  drop 
forged  and  is  of  the  knuckle  type,  while  the  rear  axle 
is  dead. 

It  has  three  traction  members,  the  drive  member 
being  a  steel  drum  having  a  diameter  of  48  inches 
and  a  rim  face  of  30  inches.  The  front  wheels  are 
36  inches  in  diameter  and  have  a  face  of  8  inches. 
Roller  bearings  are  used  on  both  the  front  and  drive 
wheels.  The  tractor  has  a  wheel  base  of  110  inches 
and  its  turning  radius  is  24  feet.  It  has  a  length  of 
180  inches,  a  width  of  88  inches,  a  height  of  56 
inches  and  a  weight  of  4,400  pounds.  It  is  shown  in 
Fig.  82. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  horizontal, 
opposed  cylinder  type;  it  has  four  cylinders,  cast 
singly,  with  a  4-  by  5-inch  bore;  the  normal  speed  is 
1,000  r.  p.  m.,  and  this  is  controlled  by  a  centrifugal 
governor. 

It  is  lubricated  by  the  force  feed  system,  has  no 
radiator  but  is  air  cooled  by  a  belt  driven  fan.  Gaso- 
line is  the  fuel  used  and  this  is  fed  from  a  20-gallon 
tank  by  gravity  to  the  carburetor.  The  ignition  system 
includes  a  high  tension  magneto. 

The  Transmission  System. —  No  clutch  is  used  as 


s§ 


fe 


60 


u 

H 


174 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  175 

the  transmission  consists  of  a  friction  drive  which  gives 
a  tractor  speed  of  from  i  to  3  m.  p.  h.,  either  for- 
ward or  reverse.  Since  a  drum  is  used  as  the  drive 
traction  member  which  is  the  equivalent  of  a  single 
drive  wheel,  no  differential  is  needed.  The  final  drive 
is  the  chain  and  sprocket  and  this  is  open.  The  gears 
are  of  cast  steel,  machined  and  case  hardened  and  all 
the  bearings  are  plain. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar,  which  is 
swivelled,  is  16  inches  from  the  ground  and  the  normal 
draw-bar  pull  is  1,900  pounds,  or,  a  little  over  12  H.  P. 
when  pulling  2%  m.  p.  h. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  has  a 
diameter  of  12  inches  and  a  7-inch  face  and  as  it  is 
directly  connected  with  the  crankshaft  its  normal  speed 
is  1,000  revolutions  per  minute.  It  has  an  inde- 
pendent clutch  and  a  pulley  brake. 

The  E.  B.,  12-20;  Model  AA  Tractor.— This 
is  an  excellent  model  of  a  higher  priced  tractor  of  about 
the  same  capacity  as  the  one  just  described  only  it 
has  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers  rating  and 
this  is  only  80  per  cent,  of  the  actual  power  the  tractor 
develops.     It  costs  $1,500. 

How  it  is  Made. —  The  Tractor  Gear. —  The  frame 
of  this  tractor  is  built  up  of  structural  steel.  Its  drive 
axle  is  live  and  roller  bearing  and  the  front  axle  is 
drop  forged,  has  plain  bearings  and  is  of  the  knuckle 
type. 

The  diameter  of  the  drive  wheels,  which  are  in  the 
rear,  is  45  inches  with  a  rim  face  of  12  inches  while 


176    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

the  front  wheels  are  36  inches  in  diameter  and  have  a 
6-inch  face.  The  wheel  base  is  87  inches  and  the 
tractor  has  a  turning  radius  of  25  feet.  It  has  a 
length  of  121%  inches,  a  width  of  55  inches,  a  height 
of  75^  inches  and  it  weighs  4,355  pounds,  of  which 
66  per  cent,  is  on  the  drive  wheels.  Its  clearance  is 
14  inches.     It  is  shown  in  Fig.  8j. 


Fig.  83.— The  E.-B.  12-20  Tractor 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  with  an  L  valve  head  and  the  cylinders,  which 
are  cast  in  pairs,  have  a  4%-  by  5-inch  bore.  The  en- 
gine has  a  normal  speed  of  900  r.  p.  m.  It  is  lubri- 
cated by  the  circulating  splash  system  and  the  oil  is 
kept  in  circulation  by  a  plunger  pump.  The  engine 
is  water  cooled,  has  a  cellular  radiator  and  the  water 
is  circulated  by  a  centrifugal  pump,  while  the  fan  is 
gear-driven. 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  177 

Kerosene  is  the  fuel  recommended  and  this  is  fed 
by  gravity  to  the  carburetor;  the  latter  is  fitted  with 
a  dry  air  cleaner  and  the  exhaust  gases  heat  both  the  air 
intake  and  the  manifold;  water  is  injected  into  the 
cylinders  along  with  the  fuel  mixture.  Finally  a 
magneto  supplies  the  high  tension  current  for  the  igni- 
tion system. 

The  Transmission  System. —  This  system  has  a  cone 
clutch  and  a  sliding  gear  transmission  fitted  with  roller 
bearings,  it  has  2  speeds  forward  and  i  reverse  and 
this  gives  a  tractor  speed  of  1.81  and  2.33  m.  p.  h., 
respectively.  The  differential  has  beveled  gears,  is 
enclosed  and  has  roller  bearings,  while  the  final  drive 
is  an  internal  bull-gear  and  pinion.  All  of  the  gears 
are  made  of  carbon  steel,  machined  and  are  heat  treated. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  draw-bar  is  pivoted  and 
adjustable  from  14  to  16  inches  from  the  ground. 
The  normal  draw-bar  pull  is  2,500  pounds  which  is, 
about  equal  to  16  H.  P.  when  pulling  2^^  m.  p.  h. 

The  Pozver  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  has  a 
diameter  of  12  inches  and  a  width  of  6%  inches,  is 
gear  driven  from  the  crankshaft  and  is  fitted  with 
roller  bearings.  It  also  has  an  independent  clutch  of 
the  contracting  band  type. 


OTHER  TWO  AND  THREE  PLOW  TRACTORS 

There  are  many  other  two  and  three  plow  tractors  to 
choose  from  and  these  are  given  in  the  following  tables : 


178     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 


Other  Average  Farm  Tractors 


Automotive  Corporation,  Toledo,  Ohio. . 
Avery  Company,  Peoria,  Ills 

12-24 

5-10 

12-24 

7-18 

10-18 
12-20 
10-20 
12-20 
9-12 
9-16 
11-20 
12-20 

8-16 

10-18 
10-20 

10-20 
9-18 

9-18 
12-20 

10-20 

9-16 

12-24 

10-20 

9-18 
12-25 

Automotive 
Model  B 

Blumberg  Motor  Mfg.  Co.,  Orange,  Tex. 

Blumberg  Motor  Mfg.  Co.,  Orange,  Tex. 

J.     P.    Case    Threshing    Machine    Co., 

Racine    Wis 

Steady  Pull 
Steady  Pull 

Case 

Cleveland  Tractor  Co.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. . 

Dausch  Mfg.  Co.,  Sandusky,  Ohio 

Essex  Tractor  Co.,  Ltd.,  Essex,  Ont 

Fageol  Motors  Co.,  Oakland,  Cal 

General  Tractors,  Inc.,  Chicago,  Ills 

Gilson  Mfg.  Co.,  Lt.,  Guelph,  Ont 

Hackney  Mfg.  Co.,  St.  Paul,  ,Minn 

International    Harvester    Co.,    of    Am., 
Chicago,    111 

Cletrac 
Sandusky  J. 
Essex 
Fageol 
Monarch 
Dixie  Ace 
Corn    Tractor 

International 

Kansas    Hay    Press    and    Tractor    Co., 
Kansas  City,  Mo 

Prairie  Dog 
Kardell    Util- 
ity 

Laughlin 

Kardell    Tractor    and    Truck    Co.,    St. 
Louis,    Mo 

Homer  Laughlin  Engineers  Corporation, 
Los  Angeles,  Cal 

Moline  Plow  Co.,  Moline,  Ills 

Moline      Uni- 

Ohio Mfg.  Co.,  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio. . 

R.  and  P.  Tractor  Co.,  Alma,  Mich 

Reliable    Tractor    Engine    Co.,    Ports- 
mouth, Ohio 

versal 
Whitney 
R.  &  P. 

Reliable 

Rock  Island  Plovir  Co.,  Rock  Island,  Ills. 

Russell  and  Co.,  Massillon,  Ohio 

Sampson  Tractor  Co.,  Janesville,  Wis... 

Scientific      Farming      Machinery      Co., 

Minneapolis,    Minn 

Heides  "  D" 
Russell  Jr. 
Sampson  M 
Mark  VI  Prin- 
cess Pat 

Shelby  Tractor  and  Truck  Co.,  Shelby, 
Ohio    

Shelby  Model 
Wetmore 

H.  A.  Wetmore,  Sioux  City,  Iowa 

Two  OR  Three  Plow  Tractors 

Allis-Chalmers     Mfg.     Co.,     Milwaukee, 
Wis 

10-18 

12-25 
8-16 
8-16 

AUis-Chal- 
mers 

Andrews     Tractor     Co.,     Minneapolis, 
Minn     

Andrews 

Avery  Co.,  Peoria,  Ills 

Bean  Spray  Pump  Co.,  San  Jose,  Cal — 

Avery 

Bean    Tract 
Pull 

TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  179 


Two  OR  Three  Plow  Tractors  (Con.) 


Bull  Tractor  and  Madison  Motors  Corp., 

Anderson,  Ind 

Chase      Tractors      Corporation,      Ltd., 

Toronto,    Can 

Dayton-Dowd  Co.,  Quincy,  Ills 

Elgin  Tractor  Corporation,  Piqua,  Ohio 
Franklin  Tractor  Co.,  Franklin,  Ohio... 
General  Ordnance  Co.,  Inc.,  New  York, 

N.    Y 

Ohio    General    Tractor    Co.,    Cleveland, 

Ohio 

Russell  and  Co.,  Massillon,  Ohio 

Stirling    Machine     and     Stamping     Co., 

Wellington,    Ohio 

Wichita  Tractor  Co.,  Wichita,  Kas 


12-24 

12-25 
12-18 
10-20 
15-30 

12-22 

15-30 
15-30 

12-22 
9-18 


Big  Bull 

Chase 
Leader  B 
Elgin 
Centipede 

GO-F 

Ohio  General 
Little  Boss 

Wellington  F 

Mid-West 


Three  Plow  Tractors 


Advance-Rumely  Thresher  Co.,  Inc.,  La 

Porte,    Ind 

American  Tractor  Corp.,  Peoria,  Ills 

Appleton  Mfg.  Co.,  Batavia,  Ills 

F.  C.  Austin  Co.,  Inc.,  Chicago,  Ills 

Bates  Tractor  Co.,  Lansing,  Mich 

J.  I.  Case  Plow  Works  Co.,  Racine,  Wis. 
J.     I.     Case     Threshing    Machine     Co., 

Racine,  Wis 

Champion  Tractor  Co.,  Argo,  Ills 

C.  O.  D.  Tractor  Co.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Coleman  Tractor  Co.,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Comet  Automobile  Co.,  Decatur,  Ills.... 

Craig  Tractor  Co.,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Dart  Truck  and  Tractor  Corp.,  Water- 
loo, Iowa 

Deere  and  Co.,  Moline,  Ills 

G.  I.  Dill  Tractor  Mfg.  Co.,  Harrisburg, 

G.  I.  bili'Tracto/Mfg.  Co.,  Harrisburg, 
Ark 

C.  H.  A.  Dissinger  and  Bro.,  Co., 
Wrightsville,  Pa 

Eagle  Manufacturing  Co.,  Appleton,  Wis. 

Electric  Wheel  Co.,  Quincy,  Ills 


12-20 

Oil  Pull 

12-25 

Yankee 

12-20 

Appleton 

15-30 

Austin 

15-^5 

Bates  All 

Steel  Oil 

15-25 

Wallis 

10-20 

Case 

i7y2X32 

Champion 

13-25 

C.  0.  D. 

Model  B 

16-30 

Coleman 

15-30 

Comet 

15-25 

Craig 

Blue  J. 

12-25 

Waterloo  Boy 

26 

Dill    Harvest- 

ing 

26 

Short  Dill 

10-20 

Capital 

12-22 

Eagle 

14-28 

All  work 

i8o    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 


Three  Plow  Tractors  (Con.) 


Emerson-Brantingham  Implement  Co., 
Rockford,  Ills 

Essex  Tractor  Co.,  Ltd.,  Essex,  Ont 

Prick  Co.,  Waynesboro,  Pa 

General  Ordnance  Co.,  Inc.,  New  York, 
N.  Y 

General  Tractors,  Inc.,  Chicago,  Ills 

Gould,  Shapley  and  Muir  Co.,  Ltd., 
Brantf ord,  Ont 

Hackney  Mfg.  Co.,  St.  Paul,  Minn 


Hart- Parr  Co.,  Charles  City,  Iowa 

Hession     Tiller     and     Tractor     Corp., 

Buffalo,  N.  Y 

Hicks  Tractor  Co.,  Milwaukee,  Wis 

Huber  Mfg.  Co.,  Marion,  Ohio 


Hunter  Tractor  Co.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.. . 
International    Harvester    Co.,    of    Om., 

Chicago,    Ills 

Keck-Gonnerman  Co.,  Mt.  Vernon,  Ind.. 

Kinnard  and  Sons  Mfg.  Co.,  Minneapolis, 
Minn 

La  Crosse  Tractor  Co.,  La  Crosse,  Wis.. 

Leader  Tractor  Mfg.  Co.,  Des  Moines, 
Iowa    

Leonard  Tractor  Co.,  Jackson,  Mich 

Liberty  Tractor  Co.,  Dubuque,  Iowa.... 

Macdonald  Thresher  Co.,  Ltd.,  Strat- 
ford,   Ont 

Maxim  Corporation,  New  York,  N.  Y.. . 

Minneapolis  Steel  and  Machinery  Co., 
Minneapolis,  Minn 

Minneapolis  Threshing  Machine  Co., 
Hopkins,   Minn 

Nelson  Corporation,  Boston,  Mass 

Nilson  Tractor  Co.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.. 

Oliver  Tractor  Co.,  Knoxville,  Tenn 

Parrett  Tractor  Co.,  Chicago  Heights, 
Ills 

Peoria  Tractor  Corp.,  Peoria,  Ills 

Pope  Mfg.  Co.,  Watertown,  So.  Dakota. 

Port  Huron  Engine  and  Thresher  Co., 
Port  Huron,  Mich 

Reed  Foundry  and  Machine  Co.,  Kala- 
mazoo,   Mich 


12-20 

J5-30 
12-24 

14-28 
12-20 

14-28 
15-30 

30 

12-24 
12-25 
12-25 

15-25 

JO-20 
12-24 


14-24 
12-24 

12-25 
20-30 
16-32 

12-24 
12-24 

12-20 

12-25 
15-24 
16-25 
15-30 

12-25 
12-25 
17-27 

12-25 

12-25 


E.    B.    Model 

"  A  A  " 
Essex 
Frick 

GO-G 
Monarch 

Beaver 

No.    5    Auto- 

Ploiv 
Hart-Parr  30 

Wheat 
Hicks 
Huber  Light 

Four 
Hunter 

Titan 

Keck-Gonner- 
man 

Flour  City  Jr. 
Model  F 

Rex 

Leonard 
Klumb  F 

Macdonald 
Maxim 

Twin  City  12 

Minneapolis 
Nelson 
Nilson  Jr. 
Oliver 

Parrett 
Peoria  J 
Dakota 

Port  Huron 

Reed 


TRACTORS  FOR  AVERAGE  FARMS  181 

Three  Plow  Tractors  (Con.) 


Rock  Island  Plow  Co.,  Rock  Island,  Ills. 
Royer  Ensilage  Harvester  Co.,  Wichita, 

Kas 

Shelby  Tractor  and  Truck  Co.,  Shelby, 

Ohio 

Short    Turn    Tractor    Co.,    Moorehead, 

M  inn 

Square  Turn  Tractor  Co.,  Norfolk,  Neb. 
Sterling    Machine    and    Stamping    Co., 

Wellington,    Ohio 

Sutherland  Machinery  Co.,  Minneapolis, 

Minn 

Trenam  Tractor  Co.,  Inc.,  •Stevens  Point, 

Wis 

Turner    Mfg.    Co.,    Port    Washington, 

Wis 

U.  S.  Tractor  Co.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.. .. 
U.    S.   Tractor  and   Machine   Co.,   We- 

nasha,  Wis 

Velie  Motors  Corp.,  Moline,  Ills 

Wabash  Tractor  Co.,  Wabash,  Ind 

Wisconsin  Farm  Tractor  Co.,  Lank  City, 

Wis. 

Wolverine  Tractor  Co.,  Detroit,  Mich.. . . 


12-20 

12-25 

15-30 

28-40 
18-35 

20-40 

16-28 

12-24 

14-25 

15-30 

20-30 

12-24 

25 

16-32 
15-30 


H eider  "C" 

Royer 

Shelby  D 

Short   Turn 
Square  Turn 

Wellington 

New  Age 

Trenam 

Turner-Sim- 
plicity 
U.  S. 

Uncle  Sam 

Biltwell 

Motox 

Wisconsin 
Wolverine 


CHAPTER  VII 
TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS 

The  big  farm  has  been  the  graveyard  not  only  for 
many  a  tractor  but  for  many  a^tractor  manufacturing 
company  as  well.  Phoenix-like,  however,  other  tractor 
companies  have  risen  out  of  the  ashes  and  have  built 
their  tractors  upon  the  experiences  of  those  that  have 
gone  before  so  that  it  is  now  just  as  safe  an  invest- 
ment to  buy  a  tractor  for  a  big  farm  as  it  is  to  buy 
one  for  the  average  sized  farm  —  that  is,  if  you  buy 
understandingly. 

The  following  specifications  include,  practically,  all 
the  companies  making  tractors  that  will  pull  from  four 
to  twelve  plows.  There  are  several  factors  that  have 
a  definite  bearing  on  the  economical  value  of  using 
a  large  tractor  as  against  two  or  more  smaller  tractors 
which  will  pull  the  same  number  of  plow  bottoms  and 
you  take  up  this  matter  with  the  engineers  of  the  com- 
pany whose  tractor  or  tractors  you  are  buying. 

The  tractors  which  I  have  described  in  this  chapter 
show  the  general  construction  of  the  latest  and  most 
powerful  types  and  from  the  accompanying  text  you 
will  be  able  to  broadly  compare  them. 

The  Oil-Pull  Tractors. —  The  Advance-Rumely 
Thresher  Company,  Inc.,  of  La  Porte,  Ind.,  make  a 

182 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS 


183 


line  of  big  farm  tractors  that  include  a  16-30,  pulling 
four  plows,^  at  a  price  of  $2,400 ;  a  20-40,  pulling  five 
or  six  plows,  at  a  price  of  $3,300,  and  a  30-60,  pulling 
eight  or  ten  plows,  at  a  price  of  $4,700. 

The  Traction  Members. —  All  of  these  tractors  have 
four  wheels  with  the  drive  wheels  in  the  rear. 

The  Power  Plant. —  All  of  them,  also,  are  powered 
with    horizontal   opposed    two    cylinder   engines,    the 


Fig.  84. —  The  Oil-Pull  Tractor 


normal  speeds  of  which  are  530  r.  p.  m.,  for  the  16- 
30;  450  r.  p.  m.,  for  the  20-40,  and  375  r.  p.  m.,  for 
the  30-60.  All  sizes  are  lubricated  with  the  force 
feed  system.  Oil  is  used  as  the  cooling  liquid  and  it  is 
circulated  through  the  radiator  by  a  centrifugal  pump 
while  the  air  is  pulled  through  the  radiator  by  the 
exhaust  of  the  engine.     The  carburetor  uses  any  kind 

*  All  plows  unless  otherwise  specified  are  14  inch. 


i84    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

of  oil  fuel  and  the  ignition  system  includes  a  high 
tension  magneto  with  an  impulse  starter. 

The  Transmission  System. —  All  sizes  have  an  ex- 
panding shoe  clutch  and  a  sliding  gear  transmission 
that  has  2  speeds  forward  and  i  reverse,  and  this 
gives  a  tractor  speed  of  2.1  to  3  miles  per  hour  for 
the  16-30;  2  to  3%  m.  p.  h.,  for  the  20-40  and  1.9 
m.  p.  h.,  for  the  30-60.  All  sizes  have  bevel  gear 
differentials,  the  smaWest  size  being  open  and  the  two 
larger  sizes  being  enclosed  and  all  are  roller  bearing. 
The  final  drive  is  an  external  bull-gear  and  pinion 
and  this  is  open.     The  30-60  tractor  is  shown  in  Fig. 

84. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  In  the  16-30  the  normal 
draw-bar  pull  is  2,850  pounds;  in  the  20-40  it  is  3,750 
pounds,  and  in  the  30-60  it  is  5,900  pounds. 

The  Pozver  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  runs  at  the 
same  speed  of  the  engine  and,  hence,  the  normal  speed 
is  530  r.  p.  m.,  for  the  16-30;  450  r.  p.  m.,  for  the 
20-40,  and  375  r.  p.  m.,  for  the  30-60. 

The  Aultman-Taylor  Tractors. —  A  line  of  three 
big  farm  tractors  is  made  by  the  Aultman-Taylor 
Machinery  Company,  of  Mansfield,  Ohio.  These  em- 
brace a  15-30  for  three  or  four  plows  that  sells  for 
$2,400;  a  22-45  ^or  four  to  six  plows  that  sells  for 
$4,100;  and  a  30-60  for  eight  to  12  plows  that  sells 
for  $5,200. 

The  Traction  Members. —  All  three  tractors  have 
four  wheels  with  the  drive  wheels  in  the  rear. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  15-30  has  a  four  cylinder 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        185 

vertical  engine  whose  normal  speed  is  900  r.  p.  m., 
the  22-45  has  a  four  cyHnder,  vertical,  valve-in-the- 
head  engine  whose  normal  speed  is  600  r.  p.  m.,  and 
the  30-60  has  a  four  cylinder,  horizontal  engine,  whose 
normal  speed  is  500  r.  p.  m. 

The  lubrication  in  these  tractors  is  by  individual 
pump  positive  feed ;  the  cooling  system  includes  a  tubu- 
lar radiator,  a  centrifugal  pump  for  circulating  the 
water  and  a  belt  driven  fan.  Either  gasoline  or  kero- 
sene is  used  and  is  fed  to  the  carburetor  by  gravity  while 
the  ignition  system  includes  a  true  high  tension  mag- 
neto. 

The  Transmission  System. —  All  of  the  above  sizes 
are  fitted  with  the  expanding  shoe  clutch  and  a  sliding 
gear  transmission.  The  15-30  and  the  30-60  have 
I  speed  forward  and  i  reverse,  and  the  22-45 
has  two  speeds  forward  and  one  reverse,  while  the 
tractor  speed  of  all  of  them  is  2.2  m.  p.  h.  The  dif- 
ferential of  the  15-30  is  o'f  the  spur-gear  type  and 
is  enclosed  while  that  in  the  two  largest  sizes  is  of 
the  bevel  gear  type  and  open.  The  final  drive  in  all 
of  them  is  an  open  external  bull-gear  and  pinion.  One 
of  these  tractors  is  shown  in  Fig.  8j. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull 
of  the  15-30  is  2,800  pounds;  of  the  22-45 
is  4,800  pounds,  and  of  the  30-60  tractor  is  8,000 
pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  normal  speed  of  the 
belt  pulley  of  all  three  sizes  is  the  same  as  the  normal 
speed  of  the  engine  which  is  given  above. 


i86    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Avery  Tractors. —  The  Avery  Company,  of 
Peoria,  Ills.,  makes  a  line  of  three  tractors  for  big 
farms.  These  are  an  18-36,  that  pulls  four  or  jive 
plows,  the  price  of  which  is  $2,250;  a  25-50  that  pulls 
five  or  six  plows,  the  price  of  which  is  $3,100,  and  a 


Fig.  85.— The  Aultman-Taylor  Tractor 


40-80,  that  pulls  eight  or  ten  plows,  the  price  of  which 

is  $3,950- 

The  Traction  Members. —  All  of  the  above  sizes  have 
four  wheels  with  the  drive  wheels  in  the  rear. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engines  in  all  of  them  are 
of  the  horizontal  opposed  cylinder  type  and  all  are 
lubricated  by  the  circulating  system.  Likewise,  all 
have   a   tubular   radiator   through    which    the   air   is 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        187 

forced  by  the  exhaust  of  the  engine.  Any  kind  of 
liquid  fuel  can  be  used  and  this  is  fed  by  gravity  to  the 
carburetor.  Finally,  all  sizes  have  a  magneto  'ignition 
system. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  expanding  shoe 
clutch  is  common  to  all  three  sizes,  as  is  the  sliding 
gear  transmission  which  is  open ;  all  of  the  sizes  have 
two  speeds  forward  and  one  reverse  and  this  gives  in 
the  18-36  and  the  25-50  a  range  of  tractor  speeds  of 
2  to  3  m.  p.  h.,  and  in  the  40-80,  of  iy2  to  4V2  m.  p.  h. 
The  differential  in  all  of  them  is  of  the  bevel  gear 
type  and  open.  The  final  drive  is  an  open,  external 
bull-gear  and  pinion  and  the  bearings  in  the  drive  axle 
are  plain.     A  large  Avery  tractor  is  shown  in  Fig.  86. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  of  the 
18-36  is  2,700  pounds ;  of  the  25-50  is  3,750  pounds, 
and  of  the  40-80  is  6,000  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  In  all  three  sizes  the  normal 
speed  of  the  belt  pulley  is  the  same  as  the  normal  speed 
of  the  engine  which  runs  it  and  this  is  given  above. 

The  Bates  Steel  Mule. —  This  15-22  tractor  is 
made  by  the  Bates  Machine  and  Traction  Company,  of 
Joliet,  Ills.,  and  pulls  three  or  four  14  inch  plows.  Its 
price  is  $2,200. 

The  Traction  Members. —  The  Steel  Mule  is  a  com- 
bined wheel  and  crawler  tractor  having  two  wheels 
in  front  and  two  crawlers  at  the  rear. 

The  Power  Plant. — ^The  engine  is  of  the  vertical 
type,  has  4  cylinders  and  runs  at  a  normal  speed  of 
900  r.  p.  m.     It  is  lubricated  by  the  circulating  pump 


i88 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        189 

system  and  is  cooled  by  a  centrifugal  pump  and  belt 
driven  fan.  It  uses  any  kind  of  liquid  fuel  which  is 
fed  to  the  carburetor  by  gravity  while  a  high  tension 
magneto  is  employed  to  fire  the  cylinders. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
single  disk  type  and  is  enclosed.  The  transmission, 
which  is  roller  bearing,  is  of  the  sliding  gear  type 
with  two  speeds  forward  and  one  reverse  which  give 


Fig.  87. —  The  Bates  Steel  Mule 

a  range  of  tractor  speeds  of  from  2.4  to  3.4  m.  p.  h. 
An  enclosed  bevel  gear  differential  is  used  and  the 
final  drive  is  an  enclosed  spur  gear  and  pinion.  It  is 
shown  in  Fig.  8y. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull  of 
this  tractor  is  2,250  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  has  a  speed 
of  775  r.  p.  m.,  when  the  engine  is  running  at  its  normal 
speed. 

The  Tracklayer  Tractors. —  There  are  three  sizes 
of  big  tracklayer  tractors  and  these  are  made  by  the 


190     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

C.  L.  Best  Gas  Traction  Company,  of  San  Leandro, 
Cal.  The  first  two  sizes  are  of  the  true  crawler  type 
and  the  largest  size  is  of  the  combined  wheel  and 
crawler  type.  The  22-40  will  pull  from  four  to  six 
plows  and  costs  $4,100;  the  35-60  will  pull  from 
six  to  eight  plows  and  costs  $4,900,  and  the  38-75 
will  pull  from  eight  to  twelve  plows  and  costs  $5,850. 
The  Traction  Members. —  The  first  two  sizes, 
namely,  the  22-40  and  the  35-60  are  of  the  true  crawler 


Fig.  88. —  The  Tracklayer  Tractor 

type  and  hence  have  a  crawler  on  either  side.  The 
38-75  is  a  combined  wheel  and  crawler  tractor,  hav- 
ing one  wheel  in  front  and  a  pair  of  crawlers  in  the 
rear. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engines  in  all  of  them  are 
of  the  vertical,  four  cylinder  type.  In  the  22-40  the 
normal  speed  of  the  engine  is  600  r.  p.  m. ;  in  the  35- 
60  the  normal  speed  is  650  r.  p.  m.,  and  in  the  38-75 
it  is  435  r.  p.  m. 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        191 

The  lubrication  system  used  in  the  22-40  is  the  cir- 
culating splash,  in  the  35-60  the  force  feed  system 
with  a  rotary  pump  is  used,  while  in  the  38-75  the 
force  feed  and  splash  system  is  employed.  The  cool- 
ing system  in  all  of  the  sizes  includes  a  tubular  radiator 
and  a  fan  but  the  22-40  has  a  gear  pump,  the  35-60 
has  a  centrifugal  pump  and  the  38-75  has  a  rotary 
pump. 

The  fuel  used  for  the  22-40  is  gasoline  fed  by 
gravity,  for  the  35-60,  distillate  fed  by  the  vacuum 
system  and  for  the  38-75  also  distillate,  which  is  fed 
by  gravity.  All  of  the  sizes  have  the  magneto  igni- 
tion system  with  an  impulse  starter.  A  Tracklayer  is 
shown  in  Fig.  88. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull 
of  the  22-40  is  3,200  pounds;  of  the  35-60  is  5,500 
pounds,  and  of  the  38-75  is  6,600  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  r.  p.  m.,  of  the  belt 
pulley  of  the  22-40  is  the  normal  r.  p.  m.  of  the  en- 
gine, namely,  600  per  minute;  of  the  35-60  at  normal 
engine  speed  is  650  r.  p.  m.,  and  of  the  38-75  it  is  550 
r.  p.  m. 

The  Case  Tractors. —  These  big  farm  tractors  are 
made  by  the  /.  /.  Case  Threshing  Machine  Company, 
Inc.,  of  Racine,  Wis.  Here  are  two  sizes,  namely, 
the  15-27,  that  pulls  three  or  four  plows  and  costs 
$1,600,  and  the  20-40  that  pulls  five  or  six  plows  and 
costs  $3,000. 

The  Traction  Members. —  Both  sizes  are  of  the  four- 
wheel  type  with  the  drive  wheels  at  the  rear. 


192    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  in  the  15-27  is  of 
the  vertical  type  and  has  four  cylinders,  while  its 
normal  speed  is  pcx)  r.  p.  m.  The  engine  in  the  20-40 
is  of  the  horizontal  opposed  cylinder  type  and  its 
normal  speed  is  475  r.  p.  m. 

The  15-27  engine  is  lubricated  by  the  circulating 
splash  system  and  the  20-40  by  the  individual  pump 
positive  feed  system.  Again,  the  smaller  engine  is 
cooled  by  a  tubular  radiator,  a  centrifugal  pump  and  a 
fan,  while  the  larger  engine  is  cooled  by  the  thermo- 
siphon  system,  and  employs  a  tubular  radiator  and  a 
fan. 

Further,  the  smaller  size  uses  kerosene  or  distillate 
while  the  larger  size  uses  any  kind  of  liquid  fuel  and 
both  employ  the  gravity  feed  system.  Finally,  both 
sizes  are  provided  with  a  magneto  having  an  impulse 
starter  for  the  ignition.     Fig.  8p  shows  a  Case  tractor. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  in  both 
sizes  is  of  the  expanding  shoe  type  and  the  transmis- 
sion is  of  the  sliding  gear  type  with  two  speeds  for- 
ward and  one  reverse;  in  the  15-27  the  tractor  speed 
is  from  2%  to  3%  m.  p.  h.  The  differential  in  the 
smaller  size  is  open  and  in  the  larger  size  it  is  en- 
closed. The  final  drive  in  both  sizes  is  an  external 
•bull-gear  and  pinion. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull  of 
the  12-27  ^s  2,500  pounds  and  of  the  20-40  is  3,740 
pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  In  both  sizes  the  normal 
belt  power  speed  is  the  same  as  the  normal  engine 


193 


194    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

speed,  to  wit,  900  r.  p.  m.,  and  475  r.  p.  m.,  respec- 
tively. 

The  E.  B.  Tractors. —  The  Emerson-Brantingham 
Company,  of  Rockford,  Ills.,  makes  two  big  farm 
tractors.  The  20-35  P^^^s  five  plows  and  costs  $2,cxdo, 
and  the  40-65  pulls  eight  to  ten  plows  and  costs  $4,250. 

The  Tractor  Members. —  The  tractors  of  both  sizes 
are  of  the  four-wheel  type  with  the  drive  wheels  at  the 
rear. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engines  in  both  sizes  are  of 
the  vertical  type,  have  four  cylinders  and  run  at  a 
normal  speed  of  700  r.  p.  m.,  and  500  r.  p.  m.,  re- 
spectively. The  20-35  engine  is  lubricated  by  the 
splash  system  and  the  40-65  engine  is  lubricated  by 
the  individual  pump  positive  feed  system. 

The  cooling  system  of  the  20-35  includes  a  cellular 
radiator,  a  centrifugal  pump  and  a  fan,  while  that 
of  the  40-65  has  a  cellular  radiator,  a  plunger  pump 
and  a  fan.  The  fuel  used  in  either  engine  is  kero- 
sene but  in  the  20-35  it  is  fed  to  the  carburetor  by 
gravity  while  in  the  40-65  it  is  fed  by  compressed  air. 
The  magneto  ignition  system  is  used  in  both  sizes. 

The  Transmission  System. —  A  cone  clutch  is  em- 
ployed in  both  sized  tractors  as  is  also  a  sliding  gear 
transmission.  In  the  20-35  the  latter  has  two  speeds 
forward  and  one  reverse  and  this  gives  the  tractor  a 
range  of  speeds  of  1.71  to  2.26  m.  p.  h.,  while  in  the 
40-65  it  has  one  speed  forward  and  one  reverse,  which 
gives  a  traction  speed  of  2  m.  p.  h.  The  differential 
of  both  transmission  systems  is  open.     The  final  drive 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        195 

is  by  an  external  bull-gear  and  pinion.     A  big  E.  B. 
tractor  is  shown  in  Fig  po. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull 
of  the  20-35  is  3,600  pounds  and  that  of  the  40-65 
is  10,000  pounds. 


Fig.  90. —  The  E.-B.  40-65  Tractor 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  normal  speed  of  the 
belt  pulley  of  the  20-35  is  595  r.  p.  m.,  while  that  of 
the  40-65  is  500  r.  p.  m. 

The  Caterpillar  Tractors. —  This  line  of  four  big 
crawlers  is  built  by  the  Holt  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  Peoria,  Ills.  The  two  smaller  ones  are  of  the  true 
crawler  type  and  the  two  larger  sizes  are  of  the  com- 
bined wheel  and  crawler  type.  The  25-45  will  pull 
from  four  to  six  plows  and  the  40-60  will  pull  from 
six  to  eight  plows. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engines  in  all  of  the  above 


196    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

tractors  are  of  the  vertical  type ;  in  the  first  three  sizes 
they  have  four  cylinders,  and  the  last  one  has  six 
cylinders.  In  the  25—45  the  normal  engine  speed  is 
600  r.  p.  m.,  in  the  40-60  it  is  650  r.  p.  m.,  in  the 
50-75  it  is  900  F.  p.  m.,  and  in  the  70-120  it  is  550 
r.  p.  m. 

The  lubrication  in  all  of  them  is  by  the  individual 
pump  positive  feed  system  and  the  cooling  system  in- 
cludes a  tubular  radiator,  a  centrifugal  pump  and  a 
fan.  The  fuel  used  in  the  25-45  is  gasoline  fed  by 
the  vacuum  system;  in  the  40-60  it  is  gasoline  or 
kerosene,  likewise,  fed  by  the  vacuum  system ;  in  the 
50-75  either  gasoline  or  kerosene  is  used  and  this  is 
fed  by  gravity,  and  in  the  70-120  gasoline  is  recom- 
mended and  it  is  fed  by  the  vacuum  system.  All  sizes 
are  equipped  with  the  magneto  and  this  is  fitted  with 
an  impulse  starter.  A  top  view  of  a  lo-ton  Caterpillar 
is  shown  in  Fig  ij,  Chapter  II. 

The  Transmission  System. —  All  of  the  Caterpillar 
tractors  have  multiple  disk  clutches.  The  25-45  size 
has  a  spur-gear  transmission  with  two  speeds  for- 
ward and  one  reverse  giving  a  range  of  tractor  speeds 
of  from  I  y*  to  3 /^  m.  p.  h. 

The  40-60  has  a  sliding  gear  transmission  of  three 
speeds  forward  and  one  reverse,  which  give  a  range  of 
tractor  speeds  of  from  1.4  to  3.9  m.  p.  h. ;  the  50-75 
has  a  planetary  gear  transmission  with  one  speed  for- 
ward and  one  reverse,  which  give  a  range  of  tractor 
speeds  of  from  2  to  5  m.  p.  h.,  and,  finally,  the  70- 
120  has  a  sliding  gear  transmission  with  two  speeds 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        197 

forward  and  one  reverse  which  give  a  range  of  tractor 
speeds  of  from  i/4  to  3  m.  p.  h. 

The  40-60  size  has  a  differential  but  the  other  three 
sizes  have  none.  The  final  drive  of  the  25-45  is  an 
internal  gear  and  pinion;  that  of  the  others  is  a  chain 
drive. 

The  Drazif-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull 
of  the  25  to  45  is  4,500  pounds;  that  of  the  40  to  60 
is  6,000  pounds;  that  of  the  50  to  75  is  8,500  pounds, 
and  that  of  the  70-120  is  10,600  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  speed  of  the  belt  pulley 
at  normal  engine  speed  of  the  25-45  is  865  r.  p.  m. ; 
that  of  the  40-60  is  710  r.  p.  m. ;  that  of  the  50-75 
is  900  r.  p.  m.,  and  that  of  the  70-120  is  460  r.  p.  m. 

The  International  15-30  Tractor. —  This  big  farm 
tractor  is  built  by  the  International  Harvester  Com- 
pany of  America,  at  Chicago,  Ills.  It  will  pull  four 
plows  and  it  costs  $4,000. 

The  Traction  Members. —  This  tractor  is  of  the 
four-wheel  type  with  the  drive  wheels  in  the  rear. 

TJie  Power  Plant. —  The  engine  is  of  the  horizontal, 
four  cylinder  type  and  has  a  normal  speed  of  575  revo- 
lutions per  minute.  It  is  lubricated  by  the  individual 
pump  positive  feed  system  and  is  cooled  by  a  tubular 
radiator,  a  rotary  pump  and  a  fan.  The  fuel  used  is 
kerosene  and  this  is  fed  by  a  pump  to  the  carburetor. 
A  magneto  is  the  source  of  high  tension  current  that 
fires  the  fuel  charge. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  clutch  is  of  the 
single  disk  type  and  the  transmission,  which  is  of  the 


198    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

sliding  gear  type  has  two  speeds  forward  and  one  re- 
verse and  gives  a  tractor  speed  of  1.8  to  2.4  m.  p.  h. 
The  differential  is  enclosed  and  the  final  drive  is  by 
a  chain  and  sprocket  and  this  is  also  enclosed.  A  pic- 
ture of  the  International  is  shown  in  Fig.  pi. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull  is 
2,350  pounds. 


Fig.  91. —  The  International  15-30  Tractor 


The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  has  a  speed 
of  575  r.  p.  m.,  when  the  engine  is  running  at  its 
normal  speed. 

The  Twin  City  Tractors. —  This  is  a  line  of  big 
farm  tractors  that  is  built  by  the  Minneapolis  Steel 
and  Machinery  Company,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
There  are  four  of  these  tractors,  namely,  the  16-30, 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS        199 

which  pulls  four  plows  and  which  sells  for  $3,500; 
the  25-45,  which  pulls  six  plows  and  sells  for  $4,200; 
the  40-65  which  pulls  eight  plows  and  sells  for  $5,000, 
and  the  60-90,  which  pulls  twelve  plows  and  sells  for 
$6,000. 

The  Traction  Members. —  All  of  the  above  tractors 
are  of  the  four-wheel  type  with  the  drive  wheels  in 
the  rear. 

The  Power  Plant. —  The  engines  in  all  of  these 
tractors  are  of  the  vertical  type  and  the  first  three  sizes 
have  four  cylinders  while  the  last  and  largest  has  a  six 
cylinder  engine.  The  16-30  has  a  normal  engine 
speed  of  650  r.  p.  m. ;  the  25-40  has  a  speed  of  600 
r.  p.  m. ;  the  40-65  and  the  60-90  have  a  speed  of  535 
r.  p.  m. 

The  lubrication  of  them  all  is  by  the  individual  pump 
positive  feed  system,  and  the  cooling  system  includes  a 
tubular  radiator,  a  centrifugal  pump  and  a  fan.  The 
fuel  used  in  all  of  the  sizes  is  gasoline  or  kerosene 
and  it  is  fed  in  the  16-30  by  the  vacuum  system; 
and  in  the  others  by  the  compressed  air  system.  All  of 
the  engines  have  the  magneto  system  of  ignition  and 
the  magneto  is  fitted  with  an  impulse  starter. 

The  Transmission  System. —  The  contracting  band 
clutch  is  used  in  all  sizes  of  these  tractors  as  well  as 
a  sliding  gear  transmission.  In  the  first  two  sizes 
it  gives  two  speeds  forward  and  one  reverse  and  in 
the  last  two  sizes  it  gives  one  speed  forward  and  one 
reverse.  In  the  16-30  the  range  of  tractor  speeds 
is  from  2  to  2%  m.  p.  h. ;  in  the  25-40  it  is  1.4  to  2 


200    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

m.  p.  h. ;  in  the  40-60  and  60-90  it  is  2  m.  p.  h. 

All  sizes  have  an  enclosed  differential  and  the  final 
drive  in  the  16-30  is  an  enclosed  internal  bull-gear  and 
pinion,  while  in  the  25-45,  the  40-65  and  the  60-90 
it  is  an  external  bull-gear  and  pinion.  A  top  view  of 
a  Twin  City  40-65  tractor  is  shown  in  Fig.  10,  and  a 
side  view  of  a  Twin  City  60-90  tractor  is  shown  in 
Fig.  II. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull  of 
the  16-30  is  3,000  pounds;  of  the  25-45  it  is  6,700 
pounds;  of  the  40-65  it  is  7,500  pounds,  and  of  the 
60-90  it  is  11,250  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  speed  of  the 
various  sizes  at  normal  engine  speed  is  as  follows: 
for  the  16-30  it  is  528  r.  p.  m.,  for  the  25-45  it  is 
600  r.  p.  m.,  for  the  40-65  and  the  60-90  it  is  535 
r.  p.  m. 

The  Yuba  Ball  Tread  Tractors.—  These  tractors 
are  built  by  the  Ynha  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
Marysville,  Cal.  The  20-35  tractor  will  pull  six  to 
eight  plows,  and  costs  $4,700,  and  the  40-70  will 
pull  eight  or  ten  plows  and  costs  $6,250. 

The  Tractor  Members. —  Both  of  the  above  tractors 
are  of  the  combine  wheel  and  crawler  type,  having 
one  wheel  in  front  and  two  crawlers  at  the  rear.  The 
crawlers  travel  on  large  steel  balls  instead  of  on  wheels, 
hence,  the  name  Ball  Tread. 

The  Power  Plant. —  Both  tractors  have  engines  of 
the  z^ertical  type  with  four  cylinders ;  the  normal  speed 
of  the  20-35  is  700  r.  p.  m.,  and  the  40-70  is  600 


TRACTORS  FOR  BIG  FARMS       201 

r.  p.  m.  The  lubrication  of  both  sizes  is  the  individual 
pump  positive  feed  type,  and  the  cooling  system  in- 
cludes a  tubular  radiator,  a  centrifugal  pump  and  a  fan. 
The  fuel  used  is  gasoline  or  distillate  and  this  is  fed 
to  the  carburetor  by  gravity,  while  a  true  high  ten- 
sion magneto  is  employed  to  fire  the  fuel  charge. 

The  Transmission  System. —  In  the  20-35  ^  multiple 
disk  clutch  is  used  while  in  the  40-70  the  clutch  is  of 
the  expanding  shoe  type.     In  both  sizes  the  trans- 


FiG.  92. —  The  Yuba  Ball  Tread  20-35  Tractor 


mission  is  of  the  sliding  gear  type ;  the  20-35  ^^s  two 
speeds  forward  and  one  reverse  and  give  a  range  of 
tractor  speeds  from  2.06  to  3.28  m.  p.  h.,  while  in 
the  40-70  it  has  three  speeds  forward  and  one.  reverse 
and  give  a  range  of  tractor  speeds  from  1.59  to  2.84 
m.  p.  h.  The  20-35  ^^s  no  differential  but  the  40-70 
uses  an  enclosed  one.  The  final  drive  in  both  sizes 
is  a  bull  pinion  in  the  crawler  links.  It  is  illustrated 
in  Fig.  ^2. 

The  Draw-Bar  Pull. —  The  normal  draw-bar  pull 


202    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

of  the  20-35  is  5,000  pounds  and  that  of  the  40-70  is 
10,700  pounds. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  The  belt  pulley  speed  of  the 
20-35  is  700  r.  p.  m.,  and  that  of  the  40-70  is  600 
r.  p.  m.,  when  the  engine  is  running  at  its  normal 
speed. 

Other  Big  Farm  Tractors. —  Besides  the  tractors 
enumerated  above  there  are  many  others  built  for  farm 
work,  as  the  following  table  shows : 


K 


co  "^ 


OO         00-m*jOO 
CO  fO       rofO'^^00  fO 


^       2 


si 


S   '^   'J 

a  <;>  s 


Co 


3e  t  2  2  2 


0V60 


S      '^     VJ    ^ 


»<    ;^    V    Ci^ 

C3  a  Q  ;^"Cl 
s  s  ^ 


ho  ««  o  . 

C  »^  rt  <u    • 

en    £H  r-* 

<x^  o.E 

.   V    3    O 

fcPQPQU 


.  bo- 


■4-> 

'^  ^''^"^ 

CO     .     r  u 

-els 

X  <u  o     . 
rt  <u  rt     . 

PQQU 


o 

o  o    r 
"SI  "^  o 


9*0  c 


c 


-blcim 


03  >     .  o  t-   u   O 


^     "^      C     C  I— (        ^l-H        .     ™ 

CKi  1«  ;S  c    ,  ^    .  o  ^ 

o>.£.tipq    ro  ^^ 
^^d^^^ldS 

•^  _.         w-   «_   en         rt 
U.5    >-'^    2    <i^    «-'  r  '    c 


203 


Ti-  Tt  o  -^  -^tvo  Tj  00  "^  tooo  O  io  -^  "^  O  "^  o  -^vo  r^  -*  -^  '^  Tt  Tt 


o  o 


o  o  o  o 
^vooo  ^ 


TfOO 


S  s  s 

?sj   O   CJ 

"--» >  .';i 

C)    H    ^  t*    f, 

<^  o  o  t-^ 

»>-l     «\|  NO     **<     N 


C5^ 


.2  5  "^  -e^ 
vo  o  o  o  oo 


*-    »-   S 


a.  2 


in  o  o 

1^' 


OOO'O'OOOOOOO  'O^O  o  O  "^ 

»o  t^  »o  f*^  f^vD  "*^sp  'n"^  »'^"^'>)'p'>i'V) 

>r^  lO  >r^  <^0o   io0>00^»vj0opv^>0 


d  J" 


go. 

V)   o 

is 


C 

.  o 


i::  o 
H.2 


1^5 
o      P-- 


r      2^ 
O         I- 


^  o 

o    ^ 
U  c 

u  04 


bo 

c 


C/5 


C 

go 

o"2 


^1= 


5     0^:    H 


hJ  J 


o 

rt  O 
C   w 


X  is 


c 
c 

O 


ll 

mm 


c    '^ 


^  o-C  OC/} 

.2  ui    .6 
£sS^o 

coc/iHHN 


204 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DRAW-BAR  AND  BELT  POWER 
APPLICATIONS 

As  far  as  tractor  power  is  concerned  all  farm 
machinery  can  be  divided  into  two  general  classes 
namely  ( i )  those  that  are  hitched  to  the  draw-bar, 
and   (2)    those  that  are  belted  to  the  pulley. 

SOME  DRAW-BAR  APPLICATIONS 

Where  plows,  harrows  and  other  draw-bar  imple- 
ments are  employed  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  get  the 
highest  efficiency,  (A)  to  use  those  that  are  built 
especially  for  tractor  work,  and  (B)  to  use  the  right 
kind  of  hitches. 

Implements  made  especially  for  use  with  tractors 
are  more  serviceable  than  horse-drawn  tools  because 
they  are  more  substantially  built  and,  hence,  stand  up 
better  under  the  stresses  and  strains  to  which  they  are 
subjected,  while  the  matter  of  using  right  or  wrong 
hitches  often  means  the  success  or  failure  of  the  tractor 
in  field  work. 

Why  Hitches  are  Needed. —  The  reason  hitches 
of  various  kinds  are  needed  is  (a)  so  that  any  kind 
of  an  implement  can  be  coupled  to  the  tractor,   (b) 

20s 


2o6     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

so  that  two  or  more  implements  can  be  coupled  to  the 
tractor  and  used  at  the  same  time,  and  (c)  so  that  the 
draft  is  lightened  to  the  greatest  possible  extent. 

Hitches  for  Plows  and  Harrows. —  For  Plozvs. — 
Hitches  for  use  with  either  the  modern  tractor  plow  or 
the  engine  gang  plow  are  usually  taken  care  of  by  the 
manufacturers  of  these  implements  and  of  the  tractors. 
Some  tractor  makers  furnish  a  plow  hitch  formed  of 
a  plate  with  holes  in  it  for  the  plow  devices.  So  you 
do  not  need  to  give  the  plow  hitch  any  further  thought. 

For  Harrows. —  Neither  do  ordinary  drag  nor  disk 
harrows  need  any  other  hitch  than  the  draw-bar  which 
the  makers  furnish  with  them  as  a  regular  part  of 
the  implement.  But  where  a  number  of  harrows  are  to 
be  used  abreast,  a  special  hitch  is  needed.  With  a 
tandem  disk  harrow  that  has  a  fore-carriage,  or  tongue- 
truck,  as  it  is  called,  fitted  to  it  you  will  have  to  use  a 
chain  hitch  which  is  long  enough  to  keep  the  tractor, 
when  it  is  traveling  over  uneven  ground  from  exerting 
any  pressure  on  the  tongue  truck. 

For  Plows  and  Harrows. —  It  is  a  good  plan  to  har- 
row the  ground  as  soon  after  it  is  plowed  as  possible 
for  it  is  then  in  a  moist  condition  and  is  much  more 
easily  and  will  be  more  thoroughly  broken  up  than 
if  it  is  allowed  to  remain  exposed  to  the  sun  and  wind 
for  a  time. 

You  can  plow  and  harrow  in  one  operation  if  you 
have  a  tractor  of  sufficient  power,  for  all  you  need  to 
do  is  to  hitch  a  plow  to  the  tractor  and  a  harrow  to 
the  plow  as  shown  in  Fig.  pj.     Where  a  disk  har- 


POWER  APPLICATIONS 


207 


row  is  used,  instead  of  the  peg  harrow  shown  in  the 
cut,  a  rigid  stub  tongue  takes  the  place  of  the  chain 
in  which  case  the  coupling  is  made  by  means  of  a 
clevis. 


Fig.  93. —  Hitch  for  One  Plow  and  Harrow 

Hitches  for  Listers,  Cultivators,  and  Wagons. — 
No  especial  hitch  is  needed  where  a  single  lister,  a 
cultivator,  wagon,  a  combined  wagon  and  hay  loader, 
a  lime,  or  manure  spreader  is  coupled  to  a  tractor, 
the  stub  tongue  of  these  vehicles  serving  the  purpose. 
Some  makers  equip  their  tractors  with  an  automatic 
coupler  so  that  it  is  easy  to  hitch  on  a  wide  variety 
of  vehicles. 

But  where  two  or  more  vehicles  or  implements  are 
to  be  used  at  the  same  time  a  special  hitch  must  be 
employed.     As  an  example,  where  a  two  row  lister  is 


2o8    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

used  for  planting  corn  a  special  hitch  is  needed,  and, 
again,  where  two  wagons  are  used  with  a  hay  loader 
a  special  hitch  is  also  necessary.  In  these  and  in  many 
other  ways  by  doubling  up  the  vehicles  or  implements 
the  work  can  be  greatly  facilitated  provided  the  right 
kind  of  hitches  are  used  and  this  not  only  means  a 
great  saving  in  time  but  very  often  of  saving  the  crop 
by  getting  it  in  in  time. 

Hitches  for  Mowers  and  Harvesting  Machines. — 
A  special  hitch  must  be  used  to  hitch  up  two  or  more 
mowers  to  a  tractor  as  well  as  for  harvesting  machines ; 
you  can  buy  these  hitches  ready  made  or  you  can  make 
them  yourself  according  to  what  you  figure  your  time 
is  worth,  the  exigencies  of  the  case  and  your  inclina- 
tion to  do  the  job. 

Commercial  Hitches. —  By  this  term  is  meant 
special  hitches  of  every  conceivable  kind  that  are  manu- 
factured and  marketed  by  various  companies,  the 
names  of  some  of  which  are  given  below.  By  writing 
them  your  needs  they  will  send  you  the  information 
you  want.  Here  is  a  list  of  companies  that  make 
hitches : 

Deere  and  Co.,  Moline,  Ills. ;  Detroit  Pressed  Steel 
Co.,  Detroit,  Mich. ;  Emerson-Brantingham  Imple- 
ment Co.,  Rock  ford,  Ills. ;  Grand  Detour  Plow  Co., 
Dixon,  Ills. ;  International  Harvester  Co.,  Chicago, 
Ills. ;  La  Crosse  Plow  Co.,  La  Crosse,  Wis. ;  Meadows 
Mfg.  Co.,  Pontiac,  Mich. ;  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Co., 
South  Bend.  Ind.,  and  the  South  Bend  Chilled  Plow 
Co.,  South  Bend,  Ind. 


POWER  APPLICATIONS  209 

Home  Made  Hitches. —  Wherever  a  special  hitch 
is  needed  you  can  make  it  yourself  at  a  very  small 
outlay  of  time  and  money.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to 
write  to  the  Secretary  of  any  of  the  following  com- 
panies and  he  will  send  you  gratis  printed  and  illus- 
trated instructions  for  making  hitches  of  every  kind 
which  will  fit  every  purpose. 

Deere  and  Co.,  Moline,  Ills. ;  Emerson-Branting- 
ham  Implement  Co.,  Rockford,  Ills. ;  International 
Harvester  Co.,  Chicago,  Ills.,  and  the  Oliver  Chilled 
Plow  Co.,  South  Bend,  Ind. 

About  Draw-Bar  Loadings. —  You  do  not  need 
to  figure  out  how  many  plows  your  tractor  will  pull 
for  the  maker  has  carefully  determined  this  factor 
basing  it  on  all  sorts  of  experimental  data  and  prac- 
tical tests.  Hence,  I'm  telling  you  that  your  one  best 
bet  is  not  to  use  any  more  plows  than  the  maker  says 
your  tractor  will  pull. 

You  will  often  be  tempted,  when  you  are  plowing 
and  find  the  tractor  pulling  along  at  an  easy,  steady- 
going  speed  to  hitch  on  another  plow,  or  a  harrow  or 
two,  but  this  is  mighty  poor  policy  for  it  is  just  such 
additional  loads  that  will  be  sure  to  make  some  part 
of  the  tractor  break  or  else  send  it  to  the  junk-pile 
when  it  would  otherwise  be  giving  you  good  service. 
Whenever  you  want  to  hitch  on  one  or  more  imple- 
ments take  ofT  one  or  more  of  those  you  have  on  so 
that  the  draw-bar  load  will  always  be  well  within  the 
capacity  of  the  tractor. 

Plows    Recommended    for    Normal    Draw-Bar 


210     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

Horse  Power. —  The  following  table  gives  the 
number  of  plows  recommended  by  the  makers,  the 
normal  draw-bar  horse  power  of  the  tractor,  the  lowest 
and  highest  draw-bar  horse  power  of  the  tractor  and 
the  normal  pull  in  pounds  at  a  speed  of  2^^  miles  per 
hour  which  is  the  speed  recommended  for  plowing  by 
the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers. 

Table  of  Draw-bar  Ratings 


Pl07i'S 

Recommended 

Average 

Draw -bar 

H.  P.  Rating 

Lowest  and 

Highest 

Draw-bar 

H.  P.  Ratings 

Drazv-bar 
Pull  in  Lbs. 
at  2y3  miles 

per  hour 

I 

2 

3 

4 

■      5 

6  and     7 
8  and    lo 

I0.2 

14 

17.1 

20.8 

23.3 

35 

5 

6  to  17 
8   "  18 
12   "  20 
18  «  24 
20   "  27 
30   "  40 

800 
1650 
2250 
2760 
3500 
3760 
5600 

How  to  Figure  the  Draw-Bar  Pull  of  a  Tractor. 

—  To  find  the  draw-bar  pull  of  a  tractor  for  a  speed 
of  2Vz  miles  per  hour  use  the  following  formula : 


Draw-bar  Pull, 
in  Pounds 


Average  Draw-bar 
Horse  Power  Rating  X  33,ooo  Foot  Pounds 

Speed  per  Minute  in  Feet. 


Now  let  US  take  an  example.  The  plowing  speed  is 
2Vz  miles  per  hour,  or  205  feet  per  minute.  Sup- 
pose you  want  to  find  the  draw-bar  pull  of  a  tractor 
having  an  average  draw-bar  horse  power  rating  of 
14  traveling  at  the  plowing  speed  of  205    feet  per 


POWER  APPLICATIONS  211 

minute,   then   substitute   these   figures   for  the  terms 
in  the  above  formula,  Hke  this : 

14  X  33.000 


205 

By  working  this  out  you  will  find  that 
462,000 


2,250 


205 


and  2,250  is  the  draw-bar  pull  in  pounds. 

If  you  want  to  use  some  other  speed  than  the 
standard  one  of  2%  miles  per  hour,  or  205  feet  per 
minute,  you  must  reduce  the  speed  in  miles  per  hour 
to  feet  per  minute  and  substitute  as  before  in  the  above 
formula. 

SOME  BELT  POWER  APPLICATIONS 

In  buying  a  tractor  be  sure  to  get  one  large  enough 
to  do  all  of  your  belt  work  for  with  some  of  the 
smaller  sizes  it  frequently  happens  that  the  power 
take  off  is  not  enough  and  then  you  will  either  have  to 
buy  a  stationary  engine  or  go  out  and  hire  one.  In 
any  event  you  will  have  to  pay  extra  for  the  power 
that  your  tractor  ought  to  deliver. 

The  Grain  Thresher. —  About  the  hardest  work 
that  a  tractor  has  to  do,  as  far  as  belt  work  is  con- 
cerned, is  running  a  thresher.  The  makers  generally 
recommend  the  size  of  thresher  that  can  be  run  with 


212     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

their  tractors  just  as  they  recommend  the  number  of 
plows  they  will  pull. 

The  diameter  of  the  belt  pulley  on  threshers  varies 
with  different  makers  from  5  to  I2^/1>  inches  and  the 
face  varies  from  4  to  10  inches;  the  pulley  speed  ranges 
from  300  to  1,300  r.  p.  m.,  and  the  horse  power  re- 
quired to  run  them  is  anywhere  from  8  to  80.  How  to 
make  your  thresher,  and  the  other  machines  which  fol- 
low, run  at  the  speed  recommended  and  still  keep  the 
speed  of  your  engine  normal  will  be  told  presently. 

The  Corn  Husker  and  Shredder. —  This  machine 
is  used  to  husk  the  corn  and  shred  the  fodder  when 
the  latter  is  called  stover  and  is  used  to  feed  farm 
stock.  The  power  take-off  of  the  tractor  is  largely 
used  in  the  corn  growing  belts  to  run  these  combined 
buskers  and  shredders.  The  diameter  of  the  belt 
pulley  on  buskers  and  shredders  varies  from  5  to  16 
inches  and  the  face  varies  from  6  to  10V2  inches  while 
the  pulley  speed  ranges  from  500  to  1200  r.  p.  m., 
and  the  horse  power  from  6  to  25  according  to  the 
size. 

The  Hay  Baling  Press. —  The  purpose  of  baling 
hay  is  to  make  it  easy  to  handle  and  compact  for  ship- 
ping and  storing.  There  is  only  al30ut  5  pounds  of 
loose  hay  in  a  cubic  foot  while  it  weighs  40  pounds 
per  cubic  foot  after  it  is  baled.  To  compress  it  to 
this  extent  requires  power  and,  hence,  this  is  another 
machine  on  which  the  belt  of  a  tractor  gets  in  its  fine 
work. 

The  pulley  diameters  of  different  makes   of  hay 


POWER  APPLICATIONS  213 

presses  vary  from  8  to  44  inches  and  the  faces  vary 
from  7^2  to  gVz  inches;  the  pulley  speeds  range  from 
185  to  750  r.  p.  m.,  and  the  horse  power  required 
to  run  them  is  from  4  to  35. 

The  Ensilage  Cutter  and  the  Silo.— The  word 
ensilage,  or  silage  as  it  is  called  for  short,  means  a 
fodder  made  by  cutting  up  green  corn  stalks,  alfalfa 
and  other  vegetable  matter,  into  short  pieces  and  this 
is  preserved  in  a  silo  which  is  an  air-tight  tower. 
The  silo  is  widely  used  on  farms  throughout  the 
country,  for  silage  provides  a  valuable  green  food  for 
farm  animals  during  the  winter  months. 

The  matter  of  cutting  the  silage  and  of  filling  the 
silos  with  it  takes  power  and  this  is  part  of  the  belt 
work  that  nearly  every  tractor  has  to  do.  The 
diameter  of  pulleys  of  ensilage  cutters  varies  from 
5  to  20  inches  and  the  face  from  4  to  14  inches.  The 
speed  ranges  from  400  to  1,200  r.  p.  m.,  and  from  3 
to  35  horse  power  is  required  to  drive  them  according 
to  size. 

The  silos  are  filled  by  elevators  on  the  cutters  that 
convey  the  silage  to  the  top  and  dumps  it  in.  There 
are  two  kinds  of  elevators  used  and  these  are  ( i )  the 
double  chain  conveyer,  or  web  carrier  elevator,  and 
(2)  the  blower  elevator.  In  the  latter  type  the  silage 
is  blown  up  and  into  the  silo  by  a  rotating  fan. 

The  Corn  Sheller. —  A  corn  sheller  is,  as  its  name 
fairly  indicates,  a  machine  that  shells  the  corn  from 
the  cobs.  There  are  two  kinds  of  these  machines, 
namely,   (i)  the  spring  sheller  and  (2)   the  cylinder 


214    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

sheller.  A  spring  sheller  has  picker  wheels  while  a 
cylinder  sheller  has  a  cylinder  with  ribs  fixed  to  it. 
Nearly  all  shellers  have  self-feeders  that  convey  the 
corn-on-the-cob  to  the  separating  mechanism. 

The  diameter  of  the  pulley  wheels  varies  from  6 
to  26  inches  and  the  face  varies  from  2  to  12  inches; 
the  speed  recommended  ranges  from  200  to  1,100  r.  p. 
m.,  while  from  i  to  28  horse  power  is  needed  to  run 
them  according  to  the  capacity  of  the  machine. 

The  Feed  Grinder. —  Feed  grinders  are  made  to 
grind  all  kinds  of  grain  for  feed  purposes.  The  grind- 
ing is  done  by  means  of  either  (i)  rollers,  or  by  (2) 
burrs  which  are  roughened  disks.  These  burrs  are 
usually  of  steel  but  when  a  fine  meal  is  wanted  burrs 
of  stone  are  used.  It  is  between  these  rotating  ele- 
ments that  the  grinding  is  done. 

Grinders  are  often  fitted  with  elevators  so  that  the 
ground  grain  can  be  sacked  in  one  operation.  The 
diameter  of  the  pulleys  varies  from  4  to  16  inches 
and  the  face  varies  from  3^/^  to  12  inches.  The  speed 
they  run  at  varies  from  200  to  1,600  r.  p.  m.,  and  it 
takes  from  i  to  30  horse  power  to  operate  them. 

TRACTOR  PULLEYS  AND  BELTS 

The  Speed  of  Machines. —  A  machine  of  whatever 
kind  must  be  driven  at  the  speed  it  was  built  for,  for 
if  it  is  driven  too  fast  it  will  wear  itself  out  in  no 
time  and  if  it  is  driven  too  slow  it  will  waste  the 
power  and  may  fail  to  do  good  work. 

Now   the   pulley  speeds  of   tractors   and  of    farm 


POWER  APPLICATIONS  215 

machines  are  arbitrary,  that  is,  every  maker  fixes  the 
speed  at  which  his  machines  are  to  run  without  regard 
to  any  standardized  rule,  consequently,  when  you  buy, 
say  a  corn  sheller,  you  will  quite  likely  discover  that 
it  will  not  either  begin  to  develop  the  speed  the  maker 
recommends,  or  it  will  run  at  far  too  high  a  speed, 
when  it  is  belted  to  the  pulley  of  the  tractor.  So  your 
first  job  will  be  to  put  on  a  pulley  that  will  give  the 
right  speed. 

If  the  speed  of  the  machine  is  a  little  too  fast  or 
too  slow  you  can  adjust  the  governor  on  your  engine 
to  make  up  the  difference.  The  better  way,  though, 
is  to  provide  all  of  your  machines  with  the  proper 
sized  pulleys  and  then  all  you  will  have  to  do,  when 
you  want  to  use  any  one  of  them,  is  to  back  your 
tractor  into  the  belt,  as  it  is  called,  throw  on  the  power 
and  you  are  ready  for  work. 

How  to  Find  the  Speed  of  a  Pulley  or  a  Belt. — 
It  is  often  convenient  to  know  the  speed  a  shaft  or 
a  pulley  is  making.  It  is  easy  enough  to  do  this  by 
using  a  speed  indicator  —  a  little  mechanical  device 
that  you  can  buy  at  any  tool  store  for  a  couple  of 
dollars. 

The  way  to  find  the  number  of  revolutions  per 
minute  a  shaft  or  pulley  is  running  at  is  to  press  the 
end  of  the  indicator  against  the  center  of  the  shaft,  or 
by  putting  a  wheel  on  the  indicator  shaft  and  pressing 
it  against  the  face  of  the  pulley  or  a  belt  you  can  find 
the  surface  speed  of  it,  that  is,  the  number  of  feet  it  is 
moving  in  a  minute. 


2i6    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

How  to  Find  the  Size  of  a  Pulley. —  In  order  to 
run  any  farm  machine  at  its  proper  speed,  that  is  the 
speed  which  the  manufacturer  recommends  as  the  best, 
you  must  be  able  to  calculate  the  size  of  the  pulley 
needed  on  the  machine. 

The  pulley  on  your  tractor  is,  of  course,  of  a  fixed 
size  and  if  you  want  to  run,  say,  an  ensilage  cutter 
at  a  given  speed,  a  ratio  between  the  sizes  of  the  tractor 
pulley  and  the  ensilage  cutter  pulley  must  be  had.  You 
can  easily  find  the  size  needed  by  using  the  following 
formula : 

Diameter      j^j^^   ^^  Tractor  Pulley  X  R.P.M.  of  Tractor  Pulley 

^u^He"^  ~  R.P.M.  of  the  Machine  Pulley 

Now  let  us  take  an  example.  An  ensilage  cutter, 
or  other  machine,  is  to  be  run  at  a  speed  of  800  r.  p.  m., 
by  a  tractor  whose  pulley  is  16  inches  in  diameter 
and  which  is  driven  at  a  speed  of  400  r.  p.  m.  What 
must  be  the  size  of  the  pulley  on  the  ensilage  cutter  or 
other  machine  ? 

Substituting  now  the  known  figures  for  the  formula 
above  we  have 

Diameter  of    ^^^^<40O 
Machine  Pulley         g^^ 

or  worked  out 

Diameter  of    _  ^^oo 
Machine  Pulley  "  "^  "  ^  '"^^^' 

and  8  inches  is  the  diameter  of  the  pulley  you  want 
on  your  ensilage  cutter  or  other  machine. 


POWER  APPLICATIONS  217 

How  to  Find  the  Belt  Speed. —  The  belt  speed 
of  your  tractor  is  the  rate  of  travel  of  any  one  point 
on  the  belt  and  it  is  measured  in  feet  per  minute. 
You  can  find  it  by  the  following  formula : 

(Diameter  of  Tractor 
Pulley  X3.i4i6)XR.P.M.  of  Tractor  Pulley 

Belt  Speeds ^ 

12  inches 

where  the  diameter  of  the  tractor  pulley  X  3.1416  = 
the  circumference  of  the  tractor  pulley  in  inches. 

As  an  example,  suppose  the  diameter  of  the  tractor 
pulley  is  18  inches  and  its  speed  is  550  r.  p.  m.  Sub- 
stituting these  figures  in  the  formula  we  have, 

18X3-1416X550 

Belt  Speeds 

12 

or, 

31,200 

Belt  Speed  = =  2,600  feet, 

12 

and  2,600  feet  is  the  speed  of  the  belt  in  feet  per 
minute. 


CHAPTER  IX 

HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR 
TRACTOR 

More  tractors  go  to  the  scrap  heap  every  year  for 
the  want  of  care  than  because  of  wear.  If  a  tractor 
is  built  right  to  begin  with  and  is  operated  and  taken 
care  of  right  afterward  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should 
not  give  good  service  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 

But  very  few  tractors  are  built  right,  for  their  de- 
sign and  construction  is  a  new  and  a  difficult  branch 
of  automotive  engineering  and,  hence,  nearly  all,  if 
not  all,  of  them  have  their  weak  points.  Then,  they 
are  generally  run  by  men  who  have  had  little  or  no 
experience  with  tractors,  and  added  to  the  above  un- 
toward features  is  the  greater  one  of  gross  negligence 
in  failing  to  take  reasonable  care  of  it.  The  net  result 
of  it  all  is  that  the  tractor  kicks  in  after  a  couple  of 
years  and  the  owner  kicks  himself  for  having  bought 
it. 

Running  the  Tractor  Yourself. —  Because  the 
tractor  is  built  up  of  a  number  of  finely  organized  and 
highly  specialized  units  does  not  prevent  any  one  of 
ordinary  intelligence  from  running  it  just  as  any  one 
can  drive  a  motor  car  or  a  motor  truck  after  he  has 
been  shown  how  a  couple  of  times  though  he  may 

218 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR     219 

not  know  the  difference  between  a  piston  ring  and  a 
wrist  pin. 

If  you  are  going  to  run  the  tractor  yourself,  or  have 
some  member  of  your  family  run  it  —  and  this  is 
isually  the  best  way  to  begin  to  treat  it  right  —  you 
ought  to  do  one  of  two  things,  namely  (i)  to  get  some 
one  who  really  understands  tractors  to  teach  you  all 
he  can  about  it,  or  (2)  go  to  some  motor  car  school 
where  tractioneering  is  taught  and  take  the  course  in 
operating  and  caring  for  it. 

Nearly  all  tractor  companies  offer  a  course  of  in- 
struction in  the  use  of  their  tractors  at  a  nominal  fee 
and  you  should  by  all  means  take  advantage  of  it  for 
any  small  outlay  you  may  make  in  the  beginning  will 
be  returned  to  you  a  hundred  fold  later  on. 

No  sane  farmer  would  think  for  a  moment  of  letting 
a  callow  city  youth  take  entire  charge  of  his  team  of 
$800  horses  without  previous  experience,  but  many 
otherwise  sane  farmers  turn  their  brand  new  $5,000 
tractors  over  to  Jim,  Jack  or  Bill  because  they  know 
how  to  fix  the  gears  on  a  windmill  or  a  pumpjack. 
The  ultimate  result  will  be  the  same  in  either  case, 
i.  e.,  the  horses  will  go  to  the  bone-yard  and  the  tractor 
will  go  to  the  junk-pile  in  short  order.  No,  if  you 
are  going  to  use  a  tractor  and  make  it  pay  on  your 
farm  you  have  got  to  know  the  innards  of  it  so  that 
you  can  scent  where  the  trouble  is  the  moment  it  shows 
up  and  be  able  to  take  care  of  it  at  once  instead  of 
letting  it  go  until  it  develops  into  a  breakdown. 

About    Hiring   a   Tractioneer. —  If   you   are   u^ 


220     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

against  the  proposition  of  hiring  a  man  to  run  your 
tractor  try,  if  possible,  to  get  one  (i)  who  naturally 
likes  machinery,  for  he  will  be  likely  to  take  good 
care  of  it,  (2)  who  has  run  a  gasoline  or  an  oil  engine, 
(3)  who  knows  something  about  heavy  duty  ma- 
chinery, and,  finally,  (4)  who  has  worked  on  a  farm. 

To  put  your  hand  on  such  a  good  man  Friday  is, 
of  course,  well  nigh,  impossible  but  you  can  take  a 
chance  on  a  fellow  who  possesses  two  or  three  of  the 
above  qualifications.  Another,  and  an  excellent  way 
to  get  the  makings  of  a  tractioneer  is  to  write  to  the 
tractor  schools  for  one,  for  they  are  constantly  turn- 
ing out  any  number  of  good,  steady,  ambitious  young 
fellows  and  all  they  need  is  a  little  practical  experience. 

Taking  Care  of  Your  Tractor. —  There  are  only 
four  things  that  you  have  to  look  after  all  the  time  on 
a  tractor  and  these  are  (i)  the  lubricating  system,  (2) 
the  cooling  system,  (3)  the  fuel  system,  and  (4)  the 
ignition  system.  The  things  that  you  have  to  look 
after  once  in  a  while  will  be  enumerated  presently. 

Keeping  the  Tractor  Oiled. —  The  two  chief  parts 
of  a  tractor  that  need  constant  lubrication  are  (i) 
the  engine  and  (2)  the  transmission  system,  and  the 
oils  used  for  these  parts  are  of  very  different  kinds. 
Now  the  great  secret  of  taking  good  care  of  your 
tractor  is  (A)  to  keep  it  lubricated  with  the  right  kind 
of  oil  and  grease,  and  (D)  to  keep  it  well  oiled  all 
of  the  time,  for  nothing  makes  a  tractor  go  to  pieces 
so  quickly  as  the  want  of  oil,  and  next  to  this  is  the 
want  of  the  proper  kind  of  oil. 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR  221 

Lubricating  the  Engine. —  Different  from  a  motor 
car  or  a  motor  truck  engine  the  engine  of  a  tractor 
is  working  all  the  time  at  full  load  and,  consequently, 
the  high  power  explosions  heat  the  cylinders  to  a  much 
higher  temperature  than  in  the  engines  of  the  two  just 
named  types  of  vehicles. 

This  means,  then,  that  an  oil  must  be  used  to  lubri- 
cate the  tractor  engine  that  is  heavier  and  has  a  lower 
volatility,  or  Hash  test,^  as  it  is  called,  than  ordinary 
motor  car  oils.  As  a  general  rule,  where  the  engine 
has  a  splash  and  circulating  system,  a  heavy  lubri- 
cating oil  is  needed,  but  where  the  individual  pump 
positive  feed  system  is  used  an  extra  heavy  oil  is  neces- 
sary. 

The  maker  of  your  tractor  will  tell  you  the  right 
grade  of  oil  to  use  for  the  engine  as  well  as  the  make 
of  oil  he  prefers  and  you  should  by  all  means  follow 
his  instructions  for  his  information  is  based  on  long 
experience  and  various  kinds  of  costly  tests.  Or  you 
can  write  to  the  Tide  Water  Oil  Company,  11  Broad- 
way, New  York,  or  the  Vacuum  Oil  Company,  100 
Broadway,  New  York,  and  either  firm  will  tell  you 
exactly  the  kind  of  oil  you  should  use  and  they  will 
tell  you  right. 

Lubricating  the  Transmission  System. —  The  trans- 
mission systems  of  all  tractors  are  about  alike,  and 
Fig.  p4  shows  one  in  which  the  transmission  runs  in 
oil  and  the  differential  is  exposed,  while  Fig  pj  shows 

1  The  flash  test  is  the  lowest  temperature  at  which  the  vapor 
from  an  oil  will  ignite  but  not  keep  on  burning. 


222     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

the  lubricating  system  of  a  Fordson  tractor  where  all 
of  the  rotating  parts  run  in  oil.  Either  a  semi-Huid 
oil  or  a  gear  compound  is  used  and  this  is  poured  into 
the  transmission  case  through  the  filling  plug  hole  until 
it  begins  to  run  out  of  the  constant  level  plug  hole. 


Fig.  94, —  A  Transmission  Lubricating  System 

When  you  want  to  drain  off  the  oil  remove  the  drain 
plug  at  the  bottom  of  the  case. 

All  transmission  gears,  chain  drives  and  bull-gears 
and  pinions  that  are  not  enclosed  can  be  lubricated 
with  a  cheap  drip  oil  or  a  heavy  adherent  gear  grease. 
The  transmission  shafts,  drive  shafts  and  wheel  bear- 
ings are  usually  fitted  with  grease  cups  though  in 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR  223 

some  tractors  these  are  lubricated  by  a  unit  oiling 
system.  When  you  get  your  tractor  screw  down  the 
grease  cups  until  the  grease  oozes  out  of  the  sides  of 
the  bearings  as  they  require  more  grease  when  the 
tractor  is  new. 

A  Few  Lubrication  Don'ts. —  Don't  fail  to  get  a 
lubrication  chart  from  the  dealer  you  buy  your  tractor 
of  as  this  shows  you  where  every  part  of  it  is  to  be 


Fig.  95. —  Lubricating  System  of  a  Fordson  Tractor 


oiled  and  how  often  it  is  to  be  oiled.  Don't  use  a 
pail  that  has  dust  on  or  dirt  in  it  for  carrying  oil  from 
the  supply  barrel  to  the  engine. 

Don't  fail  to  cork  up  the  barrel  after  you  have 
drawn  oil  from  it.  Don't  let  the  pail  of  grease  re- 
main open,  especially  if  you  carry  it  on  the  tractor 
with  you,  but  always  keep  it  covered  with  an  air  tight 
cover;  grease  with  dust  or  dirt  in  it  is  worse  than 
no  grease  at  all.     Don't  start  the  engine  unless  you 


224    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

know  to  a  certainty  that  there  is  plenty  of  oil  in  the 
sump  or  tank. 

Keeping  the  Engine  Cool. —  Water  Cooling. — 
Where  water  is  used  for  cooling  the  engine  see  that 
it  is  never  lower  than  the  three-quarter  level  in  the 
radiator  but  always  keep  it  full  if  possible.  Low 
water  reduces  the  cooling  capacity  of  the  radiator  and 
this  will  cause  the  engine  to  heat  up.  Use  only  clean, 
pure  water  —  rain  water  is  the  best  —  and  strain  it 
before  you  put  it  into  the  radiator.  Every  tractor  has 
a  strainer  in  the  filler  of  the  radiator  and  be  sure  to 
see  that  it  is  always  in  there. 

Should  you  ever  be  so  careless  as  to  let  the  engine 
run  without  water,  or  with  the  water  failing  to  circu- 
late, the  pistons  may  become  heated  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  will  stick  in  the  cylinders. 

In  this  event  pour  enough  engine  oil  into  the 
cylinders  to  fill  them  and  crank  the  engine  until  the 
pistons  again  work  smoothly.  If  the  pistons  are 
badly  stuck  you  may  not  be  able  to  crank  it  even  with 
the  oil  in  the  cylinders.  By  pouring  some  kerosene  in 
the  oil  the  pistons  will  be  eased  up  so  that  you  can 
turn  the  crank  provided  they  have  not  been  too  badly 
damaged. 

Water  Cooling  in  Winter, —  When  freezing  w^eather 
comes  on  protect  your  engine  against  it  by  either  ( i ) 
opening  all  of  the  drain  cocks  and  letting  the  water 
run  out  of  the  water  cooling  system  every  night,  or 
(2)  pouring  an  anti-freezing  solution  into  the  radiator 
made  of  ^5%  of  wood  alcohol,  15%  of  glycerine  and 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR  225 

do%  of  water.  This  solution  will  not  freeze  if  the 
temperature  does  not  fall  more  than  10  degrees  below 
o  Fahrenheit. 

A  Couple  of  Water  Cooling  Don'ts. —  Don't  use  a 
pail  to  fill  the  radiator  with  that  has  had  oil  in  it  for 
the  oil  will  form  a  coating  on  the  inside  or  outside  of 
the  tubes  and  this  will  reduce  the  radiation  of  the  heat. 
Don't  let  dust,  dirt  or  any  other  matter  get  into  the 
radiator  for  enough  of  it  will  keep  the  water  from 
circulating  properly. 

Oil  Cooling. —  Oil  is  used  in  some  engine  cooling 
systems  because  (i)  it  does  not  boil,  and,  hence,  (2) 
it  will  not  evaporate,  and  (3)  it  will  not  freeze.  Any 
good  light  lubricating  oil  or  high  test  kerosene  can  be 
used.  The  disadvantage  of  using  oil  is  that  it  does 
not  radiate  the  heat  nearly  as  rapidly  as  water. 

Fan  Cooling. —  One  of  the  common  faults  that 
causes  an  engine  to  overheat  is  a  fan  belt  that  slips. 
When  you  put  on  a  fan  belt  be  sure  the  smooth  side, 
that  is,  the  hair  side,  is  next  to  the  pulley,  and  the 
rough  side,  or  Uesh  side,  is  outside. 

Caring  for  the  Fuel  System. —  The  Kind  of  Gaso- 
line to  Use. —  In  buying  gasoline  get  as  good  a  grade 
as  you  can  for  the  best  is  none  too  good  these  days. 
You  can  make  rough  tests  of  gasoline  with  a  hydro- 
meter in  the  same  way  that  you  test  the  solution  of  a 
storage  battery  with  it.  A  grade  of  gasoline  that  has 
a  specific  gravity  ^  of  6^  or  70  degrees  Baume  is  all 
right  for  your  tractor  eilgine  but  the  grade  that  you  are 

^  See  any  text  book  on  Physics. 


226    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

most  apt  to  get  has  a  specific  gravity  of  60  to  70  de- 
grees. 

It  is  usually  easy  to  start  the  engine  on  a  high  grade 
of  gasoline,  and  sometimes  it  is  very  hard  to  start 
it  on  a  low  grade  gasoline,  especially  in  winter.  If  you 
are  using  a  low  grade  of  gasoline,  or  kerosene  or 
other  fuel  oil,  keep  a  gallon  or  so  of  high  grade  gaso- 
line on  your  tractor  —  most  tractors  are  provided  with 
a  tank  for  this  purpose  —  to  start  the  engine  with  and 
you  will  have  no  trouble  on  this  score. 

Whatever  kind  of  fuel  oil  you  use  be  sure  to  filter 
it  through  a  piece  of  chamois  skin  to  prevent  particles 
of  dirt  and  sand  from  going  through  the  fuel  system 
and  into  the  cylinders.  Filtering  the  fuel  oil  will  also 
remove  any  water  there  may  be  in  it.  You  must  take 
care  to  keep  the  lint  of  cotton  waste  from  getting 
into  the  feed  pipe  for  it  will  stop  up  the  fuel  inlet  of 
the  carburetor,  which  has  a  fine  strainer  over  it,  and 
this  will  prevent  the  fuel  from  flowing  through,  and, 
of  course,  the  engine  will  stop. 

The  Kind  of  Kerosene  to  Use. —  Kerosene  is  not  as 
good  a  fuel  for  tractor  engines  as  gasoline  and  unless 
it  is  completely  vaporized  it  will  form  heavy  deposits 
of  carbon  in  the  cylinders.  Formerly  water  had  to 
be  injected  into  the  cylinders  with  the  fuel  mixture 
to  prevent  the  carbon  from  coating  the  cylinder  walls 
but  recent  improvements  in  preheating  the  fuel  mixture 
permits  kerosene  to  be  used  very  satisfactorily  with- 
out the  use  of  water. 

The  kind  of  kerosene  that  is  used  for  engines  is 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR  227 

of  a  lower  grade,  i.  e.,  of  a  lower  fire  point  ^  than  that 
used  in  lamps.  The  latter  has  a  fire  point  of  140  to 
1^0  degrees  Fahrenheit  while  the  former  has  a  fire 
point  of  only  100  to  ITV  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The 
lower  grade,  however,  makes  a  better  fuel  oil  than  the 
higher  grade  for  it  ignites  at  a  lower  temperature, 
evaporates  more  readily  and  is  considerably  cheaper. 
Since  it  costs  only  about  half  as  much  as  gasoline 
this  factor  compensates  for  whatever  shortcomings 
it  may  have. 

About  Heavy  Fuel  Oils. —  The  same  care  must  be 
exercised  in  using  kerosene,  distillate  and  other  heavy 
fueL  oils  that  is  prescribed  for  gasoline. 

Caring  for  the  Ignition  System. —  Nearly  all 
tractors  are  equipped  with  a  magneto  for  firing  the 
cylinders  as  they  should  be.  Where  a  storage  battery 
and  circuit  breaker  system  is  used  you  must  see  to  it 
that  the  battery  does  not  get  weak  or  run  down.  With 
a  magneto  there  is  nothing  to  do  except  to  give  it  a 
little  oil  and  clean  the  spark  plugs.  Although  the 
magneto  is  an  enclosed  piece  of  electrical  apparatus  it 
should  have  a  leather  case  fitted  over  it  to  keep  it  from 
getting  wet. 

The  spark  plugs  must  be  looked  after  to  see  that  the 
electrodes  are  in  good  condition  and  that  they  are 
gapped  right,  that  is  the  distance  between  the  points 
of  the  electrodes  form  the  right  length  of  spark  gap.    r^ 

1  The  Hre  point  is  the  lowest  temperature  at  which  the  oil  will 
ignite  from  its  vapors  when  a  small  flame  is  brought  near  it  and 
quickly  taken  away. 


228    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

Keeping  Your  Tractor  Clean. —  By  this  sign  shall 
ye  be  known,  namely,  the  way  your  tractor  looks.  To 
keep  your  tractor  clean  is  an  important  matter  not  be- 
cause it  looks  good  but  because  it  spells  economy. 
Clean  the  engine  with  waste,  wipe  or  wash  the  dust 
and  dirt  off  of  the  radiator,  hood  and  exposed  parts 
and  if  there  is  mud  on  the  traction  members,  and 
especially  the  bull-gears,  scrape  it  off  and  your  tractor 
will  run  the  better  for  it.  Then  run  it  under  cover 
and  throw  a  tarpaulin  over  it. 

SUMMARY  OF  HOW  TO  CARE  FOR 
YOUR  TRACTOR 

Daily  Care  and  Upkeep. —  The  first  thing  in  the 
morning  go  over  every  part  of  your  tractor  and  see 
that  it  is  fit  and  ready  for  the  day's  run.  Begin  by  see- 
ing ( I )  that  the  connecting  rod  bearings  are  tight  and 
if  not  take  them  up;  (2)  that  every  bolt  and  nut  is 
tight,  and  (3)  that  every  part  of  the  tractor  is  intact. 
(4)  Fill  the  sump  of  the  engine,  or  tank,  with  lubri- 
cating oil,  fill  the  bull-gear  oilers  and  fill  and  screw 
down  all  of  the  grease  cups.  (5)  Put  a  couple  of 
drops  of  light  machine  oil  on  the  bearings  of  the 
magneto.  (6)  Fill  the  fuel  oil  tanks,  and  (7)  fill  the 
radiator  with  water.  (8)  Whenever  you  make  a  stop 
feel  of  all  of  the  engine  bearings  to  ascertain  if  they 
are  cool  and  see  that  they  are  getting  all  the  oil  they 
need. 

Weekly  Care  and  Upkeep. —  At  the  end  of  every 
week  ( I )  drain  the  oil  out  of  the  crank  case  of  the 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR  229 

engrne,  the  pipes  and  the  pump  and  flush  them  out 
with  gasoHne  or  kerosene  and  then  put  in  fresh  clean 
oil.  (2)  See  that  the  oil  in  the  transmission  case  is  up 
to  the  constant  level  plug.  (3)  Drain  the  water  out  of 
the  cooling  system  and  fill  it  with  clean  water,  and 
(4)  take  out  the  spark  plugs,  clean  them  and  see  that 
they  are  gapped  right. 

(5)  Where  the  tractor  is  working  10  or  12  hours 
a  day  the  exhaust  valves  must  be  ground  at  least  once 
every  other  week,  but  where  the  engine  is  running 
18  or  more  hours  a  day  they  must  be  ground  every 
week.  This  grinding  operation  is  to  make  them  seat 
properly  and  so  prevent  a  loss  of  compression  in  the 
cylinders.  The  inlet  valves  seldom  require  grinding 
for  the  fuel  mixture  that  strikes  them  is  cool  compared 
with  the  burnt  gases  that  strike  the  exhaust  valves. 
It  is  a  very  simple  matter  to  grind  these  valves  and  I 
will  tell  you  how  to  do  it  in  the  next  chapter. 

Finally  (6),  every  month  drain  the  oil  out  of  the 
transmission  case,  flush  it  out  clean  with  kerosene  and 
fill  it  with  clean  oil. 

Care  at  the  End  of  the  Season. —  When  you  are 
all  through  with  your  draw-bar  and  belt  work  for  the 
season  (i)  run  your  tractor  under  cover  where  it 
will  be  well  protected  from  the  rigors  of  winter.  (2) 
Pour  a  quart  or  so  of  semi-fluid  oil  into  each  cylinder 
and  crank  the  engine  so  that  it  will  form  a  thick  film 
on  the  cylinder  walls.  ( 3 )  Take  off  the  cylinder  head, 
or  valve  caps,  and  smear  some  semi-fluid  oil  on  the 
valves  and  valve  seats.     Then  put  some  thick  oil  on  the 


230    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

threads  of  the  valve  caps  and  screw  them  back  on  tight, 
all  of  which  is  done  to  prevent  the  moisture  that  forms 
inside  of  the  engine  during  the  winter  months  from 
rusting  it.  See  to  it  that  the  prime  and  relief  cocks 
are  shut  tight.  Then,  (4)  run  off  the  oil  in  the  gear 
case  and  wash  it  out  with  kerosene. 

(5)  Drain  off  the  water  from  the  water  cooling 
system  and  take  off  all  the  cocks.  (6)  Shut  off  the 
cock  at  the  fuel  tank  and  drain  off  the  fuel  oil  from 
the  pipe  and  carburetor.  (7)  Either  take  off  the 
magneto  and  put  it  away  in  a  perfectly  dry  place  or 
else  tie  a  couple  of  thicknesses  of  canvas  around  it. 
Likewise  cover  the  governor  and  the  carburetor  with 
canvas,  and,  (8)  either  take  off  the  fan  belt,  or  cover 
it  with  canvas. 

Finally,  (9)  as  you  are  going  over  the  tractor  make 
a  note  of  every  new  part  you  will  need  the  following 
spring  to  put  it  in  good  shape  and  then  and  there  write 
out  a  list  of  them.  Some  time  during  the  winter 
send  your  order  in  to  the  manufacturer  so  that  you 
will  be  sure  and  have  everything  you  need  when  you 
want  it. 

When  spring  rolls  round  again  start  in  by  ( i )  tak- 
ing off  all  the  covers,  then,  (2)  remove  the  semi-fluid 
oil  from  the  cylinders,  this  you  can  do  by  the 
liberal  use  of  kerosene,  and  see  that  they  are  well 
washed  out.  (3)  Pour  a  quart  or  so  of  the  kind  of 
lubricating  oil  you  use  into  each  cylinder,  and  crank 
the  engine  until  all  of  the  oil  has  run  down  into  the 
crank  case.     (4)  Prime  the  cylinders  with  gasoline  and 


HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  TRACTOR     231 

put  a  little  lubricating  oil  in  with  it  so  that  there 
will  be  enough  oil  to  lubricate  the  pistons  and  cylinders 
until  the  lubricating  system  begins  to  work,  and  last 
of  all  (5)  fill  the  transmission  case  with  fresh  oil  or 
grease  and  you  are  ready  for  work  again. 

The  Price  of  Tractor  Economy. —  If  you  will  do 
all  of  the  above  things  conscientiously  you  will  add 
years  to  the  life  of  your  tractor  and  dollars  to  your 
bank  account  for  eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  tractor 
economy. 


CHAPTER  X 

TRACTOR  TROUBLES  AND  HOW  TO 
FIX  THEM 

In  running  a  tractor  you  will  run  up  against  two 
kinds  of  trouble,  namely,  (i)  those  that  are  a  mere 
matter  of  adjustment,  and  (2)  those  that  are  of  a 
more  serious  nature  caused  by  breakage.  In  this 
chapter  we  will  look  into  the  first  kind  and  in  the  next 
chapter  we  will  take  care  of  the  second. 

The  Symptoms  of  Trouble. —  You  will  know  when 
an  adjustment  of  some  kind  is  needed  by  the  way 
the  engine  behaves.  Now  there  are  three  general 
symptoms  that  indicate  trouble  and  these  are  ( i )  when 
the  engine  knocks,  (2)  when  the  engine  overheats  and 

(3)  when  the  engine  loses  power.  In  any  event  when 
these  symptoms  show  up  stop  the  tractor  at  once  and 
find  out  what  the  trouble  is. 

When  the  Engine  Knocks. —  The  chief  causes  that 
make  an  engine  knock  are  (i)  having  the  spark  ad- 
vanced too  far;  (2)  the  fuel  mixture  is  not  properly 
proportioned;  (3)  the  bearings  have  too  much  play; 

(4)  there  is  carbon  in  the  cylinders,  or  (5)  there  is 
a  piston  slap. 

Adjusting  the  Spark  Control. —  One  of  the  com- 

232 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES  233 

monest  causes  of  knocking  is  having  the  spark  ad- 
vanced too  far,  by  which  is  meant  that  you  have  pushed 
the  spark  control  lever  so  far  ahead  that  the  spark 
takes  place  in  the  cylinders  before  it  ought  to  and  so 
fires  the  fuel  charge  prematurely.  Try  pulling  the 
spark  lever  back  a  couple  of  notches. 

Proportioning  the  Fuel  Mixture. —  Where  knocking 
is  caused  by  an  improper  fuel  mixture  adjust  the  air 
valve,  or  change  the  position  of  the  nozzle  of  the 
carburetor  so  that  the  mixture  is  made  leaner,  that  is, 
so  that  it  will  use  more  air  and  less  gas.  When  the 
fuel  mixture  is  right  the  color  of  the  exhaust  will  be 
clear  with  a  bluish  tinge  and  it  will  have  a  sharp  sound. 

Taking  Up  the  Bearings. —  A  good  tractioneer  will 
not  wait  until  he  hears  the  engine  pounding  to  find 
out  it  is  a  loose  bearing  that  is  doing  it  but  he  will 
test  the  bearings  religiously  every  week.  To  test  a 
bearing  turn  the  crankshaft  over  to  a  position  where 
you  can  put  a  bar  under  the  rod  cap  of  the  connecting 
rod  and  pry  it  up  and  down  when  you  can  easily  tell 
if  it  is  loose  or  not. 

The  Connecting  Rod  Bearings. —  Between  the  con- 
necting rod  and  its  rod  cap  there  are  a  number  of 
shims,  see  C  in  Fig.  14,  page  39,  which  are  pieces  of 
metal  a  little  thicker  than  a  sheet  of  writing  paper.  If 
the  bearing  is  loose  unbolt  the  rod  cap,  take  out  one  or 
more  of  the  shims  and  bolt  the  rod  cap  to  the  rod 
again. 

Many  engines  are  fitted  with  laminated  shims  and 
when  you  want  to  tighten  up  the  bearing  one  or  more 


234    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

of  these  can  be  peeled  off.  You  must  take  pains  not 
to  get  the  bearing  too  tight  or  you  will  have  to  add 
one  or  more  shims  cut  out  of  writing  paper  until  the 
bearing  has  no  play  and  yet  runs  easily.  Always  put 
the  cap  back  in  its  original  position,  that  is  without 
turning  it  around,  and  be  mighty  careful  you  do  not 
get  dust  or  dirt  on  it. 

The  Crankshaft  Bearings. —  You  can  test  the  crank- 
shaft bearings  in  the  same  fashion  as  the  connecting 
rod  bearings,  that  is  by  prying  them  up  and  down.  In 
taking  up  these  bearings  do  the  work  on  one  first  and 
then  on  the  other.  This  makes  it  easier  to  tell  when 
the  bearings  are  tight  enough.  When  the  bearings 
have  become  so  worn  that  you  have  to  put  in  new 
ones  you  can  get  bronze  hacked  babbited  bearings  of 
the  maker  of  your  tractor. 

To  Remove  the  Carbon, —  When  there  is  too  much 
lubrication  oil  used,  or  it  is  of  too  poor  a  grade,  or 
where  the  fuel  mixture  is  too  rich,  or  crude  fuel  oils 
are  used,  they  leave  fine  particles  of  carbon  behind 
in  the  cylinder  and  this  is  very  injurious  to  the  walls  of 
it  and  frequently  causes  the  engine  to  knock. 

To  get  the  carbon  out  of  the  cylinders  of  an  L  or 
a  T  head  engine  remove  the  valve  caps  and  turn  the 
crankshaft  over  until  the  piston  is  on  its  top  dead  center. 
It  is  now  possible  to  reach  the  head  of  the  piston  where 
the  carbon  chiefly  gathers  and  with  scraping  tools 
made  for  the  purpose  you  can  scrape  the  carbon  loose 
and  into  the  exhaust  passage.     See  Fig.  pd. 

In  an  engine  that  has  a  removable  head  you  will 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES 


235 


have  to  uncouple  the  valve  springs  and  take  it  off. 
You  can  then  easily  reach  the  piston  head  and  clean 
the  carbon  off  of  it  with  the  scraping  tool  as  before. 
In  either  case,  when  you  have  scraped  it  out,  brush  all 


CARBON 
SCRAPINC 
TOOLS 

Fig.  96. —  Removing  the  Carbon  from  a  Cylinder 


of  the  loose  particles  out  with  exceeding  care  and  then 
wash  all  of  the  parts  off  with  kerosene. 

Remedying  the  Piston  Slap. —  Sometimes  a  connect- 
ing rod  will  get  bent  a  little  or  the  piston  rings  will 
become  so  worn  that  there  will  be  a  loss  of  compres- 
sion and  either  of  these  defects  will  cause  the  engine 


236    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

to  knock.     The  remedy  is  to  replace  the  offending  rod 
or  rings  with  new  ones. 

Replacing  Piston  Rings. —  To  tell  which  piston  is 
leaking  take  off  the  side  cover  plates  from  the  crank- 
case,  put  your  ear  to  the  opening  and  have  your  helper 
turn  over  the  crank.  If  you  listen  now  you  can  hear 
the  sound  of  the  escaping  gas  as  the  pistons  work 
against  compression  and  so  tell  which  one  it  is  that 
leaks. 


,.N^ 


^l^" 


Fig.  97. —  Removing  Piston  Rings 

If  you  find  black  spots  on  a  ring,  or  rough  spots 
on  the  surface,  or  on  the  ends  of  it,  put  in  a  new 
one.  In  putting  in  a  new  ring  see  that  it  fits  in  the 
groove  snug  but  it  must  not  bind.  The  ends  of  the 
ring  must  have  a  clearance  of  %4  of  an  inch  where 
they  come  together,  after  the  piston  is  in  the  cylinder. 

To  take  a  ring  off  of  a  piston  slip  three  or  four  thin 
strips  of  tin,  or  brass,  Y2  an  inch  wide  and  6  inches 
long,  under  the  ends  of  the  ring  and  work  them  along 
until  they  are  at  equidistant  points  between  the  ends 
of  the  ring  as  shown  in  Fig.  p/;  you.  can  then  push 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES  237 

the  ring  from  the  groove  it  sets  in  and  so  take  it  off. 

To  put  a  new  ring  on  a  piston  sHp  the  ring  over 
the  strips  of  metal,  push  it  down  until  it  is  over  the 
groove  into  which  it  is  to  go  and  then  pull  out  the 
strips. 

When  the  Engine  Overheats. — There  is  an  even 
dozen  of  sufficient  causes  that  make  an  engine  over- 
heat and  these  are  (i)  too  late  a  spark;  (2)  a  slip- 
ping fan  belt;  (3)  not  enough,  or  too  poor  grade  of 
lubricating  oil;  (4)  a  lack  of  water;  (5)  the  water 
system  is  choked  up;  (6)  the  water  pump  impeller 
is  damaged;  (7)  a  choked  up  muffler;  (8)  carbon  in 
the  cylinders ;  (9)  overload  on  the  engine ;  (10)  racing 
of  the  engine ;  (11)  piston  rings  too  large  for  the 
cylinders,  and  (12)  valves  that  are  not  timed  correctly. 
The  thing  to  do  to  remedy  most  of  the  above  defects 
is  obvious  but  the  others  need  some  explanation. 

Adjusting  the  Spark  Control. —  A  frequent  cause  of 
overheating  lays  in  having  the  spark  over  retarded, 
that  is,  you  have  pushed  the  spark  control  lever  back 
so  far  that  the  spark  takes  place  after  it  ought  to  and 
so  fires  the  fuel  charge  too  late.  Try  pulling  the  spark 
lever  ahead  a  few  notches  and  note  the  effect  on  the 
engine. 

Tightening  the  Fan  Belt. —  When  a  fan  belt  slips 
the  fan  fails  to  pull  the  air  through  the  radiator  and 
this  reduces  its  heat  radiating  capacity.  This  causes 
the  engine  to  overheat  and  if  not  attended  to  at  once  it 
is  liable  to  do  a  lot  of  damage  to  the  engine.  To 
tighten  a  fan  belt  tighten  up  the  idler,  or  if  the  engine 


238    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

is  a  late  model  screw  up  the  nut  on  the  spring  that 
increases  its  tension. 

Replacing  the  Water  Impeller, —  After  long  use  the 
blades  of  the  impeller  of  the  centrifugal  pump  become 
worn  and  once  in  a  while  a  blade  may  break.  In  either 
case  put  a  new  impeller  in  the  pump.  When  you  put 
the  pump  back  in  place  see  that  the  stuffing  box  is 
screwed  up  or  it  will  leak. 


<^^^p^ 


i^eveu 


Fig.  98. —  Graphic  Representation  Showing  the  Extra  Horse 
Power  Needed  on  Grades 

Lightening  the  Load. —  Overloading  the  tractor 
either  at  the  draw-bar  or  the  power  take  off  is  a 
common  and  disastrous  practice.  This  is  generally 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  tractioneer  does  not  give  a 
thought  to  the  kind  or  condition  of  the  road  he  is 
travelling  over  or  what  the  grade  may  be.  Fig.  g8 
shows  graphically  the  extra  horse  power  it  takes  to 
pull  a  given  load  on  different  grades. 

When  a  tractor  pulls  a  loaded  wagon  of  given  weight 
on  sandy  soil  it  takes  about  7  times  as  much  power  as 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES  239 

when  it  pulls  the  same  load  on  a  smooth  hard  road. 
Further,  for  every  i  per  cent,  of  grade,  it  takes  as 
much  additional  power  to  pull  it  as  though  you  added 
to  the  load  i  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  it  when  the 
tractor  is  hauling  it  on  a  level  road. 

When  the  Engine  Races. —  Next  to  a  lack  of  oil, 
racing  the  engine  is  the  quickest  way  to  destroy  it. 
By  racing  is  meant  running  the  engine  at  speeds  way 
above  the  normal.  Sometimes  this  is,  foolishly,  done 
intentionally,  but  once  in  a  while  it  results  from  a  de- 
fective governor. 

When  racing  occurs  see  that  all  of  the  pipe  con- 
nections of  the  governor  are  tight  and  that  none  of 
the  lock  nuts  have  worked  loose.  Then  adjust  the 
governor  until  it  gives  the  speed  you  want.  If  it  won't 
make  the  engine  respond  you  can  conclude  that  there 
is  something  very  much  the  matter  with  it.  Don^t 
try  to  fix  it  but  write,  or  wire,  the  maker  of  your 
tractor,  or  his  nearest  distributor,  when  a  new  one  will 
be  shipped  to  you  and  when  you  get  it  you  can  send 
the  old  one  back. 

Using  Piston  Rings  that  Fit. —  Where  the  piston 
rings  are  too  large  for  the  cylinders  the  friction  will 
be  excessive  and  consequently  the  wear  will  be  pro- 
portionately great  and  no  amount  of  oil  will  keep 
it  down.  The  only  remedy  is  to  get  piston  rings 
that  are  not  too  large.  The  way  to  put  on  piston  rings 
has  already  been  described. 

Timing  the  Valves  Correctly. —  When  the  valves  are 
not  timed  correctly,  that  is  when  they  do  not  open  and 


240     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

close  at  the  precise  instant  they  should,  the  fuel  is 
not  only  wasted  but  the  engine  overheats  as  well.  It 
is  not  likely  that  the  timing  of  the  valves  will  be 
thrown  out  of  adjustment  provided  the  crankshaft,  or 
the  camshaft,  or  both,  have  not  been  disturbed  when 
putting  in  new  bearings  or  taking  up  old  ones. 

As  the  inlet  and  exhaust  valves  are  operated  by  the 
rotation  of  the  camshaft  which  is  geared  to  the  crank- 
shaft it  is  natural  that  the  time  of  their  opening 
and  closing  should  be  determined  in  degrees.  Since 
the  flywheel,  which  is  keyed  to  the  crankshaft,  is  a 
circle  and  there  are  360  degrees  in  a  circle,  lines  are 
cut  on  the  flywheel  to  indicate  the  position  of  the  crank- 
shaft and  the  time  when  the  valves  shall  open  and 
close. 

These  lines  on  the  flywheel  must,  of  course,  coincide 
with  some  fixed  line  and  this  is  cut  on  the  frame. 
Different  makers  use  various  marks  to  indicate  when 
the  inlet  and  exhaust  valves  open  and  close,  but  as 
an  illustration  let's  suppose  that  the  following  marks 
are  used,  namely,  ( i )  InO  which  means  intake  open, 
(2)  InC,  intake  closes,  (3)  Ex  O,  exhaust  opens  and 
Ex  C  exhaust  closes,  as  shown  in  Fig.  pp. 

Now  when  the  line  In  0  on  the  flywheel  coincides 
with  the  line  on  the  frame  the  crankshaft  is  in  such  a 
position  that  you  want  to  set  the  camshaft  so  that  the 
inlet  valve  is  just  starting  to  open  on  the  intake  stroke. 
Likewise,  when  the  line  marked  In  C  on  the  flywheel 
coincides  with  the  line  on  the  frame  the  intake  valve 
must  start  to  close;  when  the  line  marked  Ex  O  is 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES 


241 


even  with  the  fixed  line  the  exhaust  valve  must  just 
start  to  open  on  the  exhaust  stroke  and,  finally,  when 
the  line  Ex  O  is  even  with  the  fixed  line  the  exhaust 
valve  must  start  to  close. 

Besides  these  valve  lines  there  are  two  other  lines 


Fig.  99. — Diagram  for  Timing  Valves 


that  show  the  dead  centers  of  the  crankshaft.  As  the 
crankpins  of  a  four  cylinder  engine  set  opposite  each 
other  on  the  crankshaft  two  sets  of  lines  and  marks 
are  cut  on  the  flywheel  at  an  angle  of  180  degrees 
apart.     Finally  see  to  it  that  the  right  distance  is  had 


242     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

between  the  valve  stem  and  the  push  rod  or  the  valves 
will  not  open  and  close  at  the  instant  indicated  by  the 
lines  on  the  flywheel. 

When  the  Engine  Loses  Power. —  When  the  en- 
gine begins  to  lose  power  yjou  will  know  that  it  is  due 
to  one  of  the  following  causes,  to  wit,  ( i )  too  late  a 
spark,  (2)  valves  that  are  not  timed  right,  (3)  loss  of 
compression,  (4)  too  rich  a  fuel  mixture,  (5)  overheat- 
ing of  engine,  or  (6)  the  exhaust  valve  springs  are 
too  weak.  How  to  remedy  all  of  the  above  troubles 
has  been  explained  except  the  last  two,  though  the 
first  may  involve  the  retiming  of  the  magneto. 

Timing  the  Magneto  Correctly. —  If  the  power  of 
the  engine  does  not  pick  up  when  you  advance  the  spark 
then  see  if  the  magneto  needs  retiming.  To  time  the 
magneto  turn  the  crankshaft  over  to  the  point  where 
both  the  inlet  and  the  exhaust  valves  in  cylinder  No. 
J,  which  is  nearest  the  radiator,^  are  closed  when  the 
line  on  the  flywheel  and  on  the  frame  coincide.  Now 
remove  the  covers  from  the  distributor  and  the  inter- 
ruptor,  which  are  on  the  magneto. 

Next  turn  the  interruptor  box  counter  clockwise, 
that  is,  so  that  the  top  of  it  moves  to  the  left  when 
it  will  be  in  the  retard  position.  This  done  turn  the 
armature  shaft  around  clockwise,  with  your  fingers, 
which  is  its  direction  of  rotation,  until  the  contact 
points  of  the  interruptor  just  begin  to  open  and  the 
contact  arm  of  the  distributor  is  on  the  left  hand  lower 

^  This  does  not  apply  to  horizontal  engines  or  vertical  engines 
that  set  horizontally  on  the  frame. 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES 


243 


contact,  see  Fig.  100,  and  which  is  connected  with  the 
spark  plug  of  the  No.  i  cylinder. 

As  the  piston  is  at  the  top  dead  center  of  the  No. 
I  cylinder  and  the  contact  points  of  the  interruptor 
are  just  ready  to  snap  apart,  which  induces  the  cur- 
rent that  makes  the  spark,  the  magneto  is  then  cor- 

3PA/IK  PLUGS 


m 


CONTACT 


Fig.   100. —  Magneto  Timing  Diagram  Showing  How  the 
Magneto  Is  Timed 


rectly  timed  so  that  it  will  fire  the  fuel  charge  in 
cylinder  No.  i,  and  also  the  other  cylinders  in  succes- 
sion at  the  right  instant. 

Now  couple  the  armature  shaft  with  the  pump,  or 
other  shaft  it  is  run  by,  by  tightening  the  nut  that 
holds  the  joint  together.  In  doing  this  be  mighty  care- 
ful that  you  do  not  turn  the  armature  one  way  or  the 
other  the  smallest  fraction  of  an  inch.  If  the  magneto 
is  fitted  with  an  impulse  starter  it  must  trip  just  as  the 


244    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

line  mark  on  the  magneto  coincides  with  the  indicator 
line  cut  in  the  frame. 

The  armature  shaft  and  the  pump,  or  other  shaft, 
which  drives  it,  are  coupled  together  by  a  flexible 
joint,^  or  oldham  joint  as  it  is  sometimes  called.  This 
joint  allows  the  magneto  to  be  taken  off  and  put  back 
on  easily  and  quickly.  The  two  shafts  when  coupled 
up,  however,  must  be  absolutely  in  alignment  or  the 
strain  on  the  magneto  will  make  it  vibrate  and  this 
will  soon  wear  out  the  bearings. 

Loss  of  Compression. —  This  term  means  that  the 
compressed  fuel  mixture,  or  fuel  charge,  leaks  out  of 
the  cylinder.  Loss  of  compression  results,  of  course, 
in  loss  of  power  with  its  attendant  waste  of  fuel. 
There  are  three  things  that  cause  loss  of  compres- 
sion and  these  are  (i)  the  use  of  a  poor  grade  of 
lubricating  oil  or  not  enough  good  oil,  (2)  piston 
rings  that  leak,  and  (3)  valves  that  leak.  The 
remedy  for  the  first  case  is  obvious,  it  has  been  de- 
scribed for  the  second,  and  for  the  third  it  is  to  grind 
the  valves. 

How  to  Grind  the  Valves. —  If  the  valves  are  not 
ground  when  they  need  it  the  hot  exhaust  gases  will 
pit  them  and  if  this  continues  for  any  length  of  time 
it  will  ruin  the  seats  so  that  it  will  take  a  deal  of  time 
and  trouble  to  get  the  valves  to  properly  seat  again. 
The  exhaust  valves  will  need  grinding  at  least  once 
a  month  and  the  inlet  valves  once  every  season. 

In  L  and  T  head  engines  it  is  only  necessary  to 

^This  is  not  a  universal  joint. 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES 


245 


take  the  valve  caps  off  of  the  cylinder  head  to  get  at 
the  valves  as  shown  at  A  in  Fig.  10 1,  but  with  a  valve- 
in-the-head  engine  the  head  itself  has  to  be  unbolted 
and  taken  off  of  the  cylinder.  In  either  kind  un- 
couple the  valve  springs  first  and  then  lift  the  valve 
from  its  seat. 
Now  make  a  grinding  paste  of  a  little  No.  120  emery 


Itfr/NC  VALVt 


/^^tJ  S3iD\ 

K^C-MiAO  VALVH  QJi/HDiNC  B  -  VALVe  tN  THE  MEAO  CftlWlNC 

Fig.  ioi. —  Grinding  Valves 


and  a  few  drops  of  lubricating  oil  and  thin  it  down 
with  kerosene.^  Rub  a  little  of  this  paste  on  the 
beveled  edges  of  both  the  valve  head  and  the  seat 
and  slip  a  spiral  spring  over  the  valve  stem  to  keep 
it  up  except  when  you  press  down  on  it.  Put  a  screw 
driver  bit  in  a  carpenter's  brace  and  set  the  blade  of 

^  Or,  better,  buy  the  paste  ready  made. 


246    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

the  bit  in  the  slot  of  the  valve  head;  press  the  latter 
clown  on  its  seat  and  turn  it  to  and  fro,  holding  it 
down  just  hard  enough  to  keep  it  in  place. 

Look  at  the  valve  every  little  while  and  see  that 
the  paste  is  evenly  distributed  over  the  surface  of  it. 
When  the  valve  and  its  seat  show  a  bright  surface, 
wipe  both  of  them  off  and  mark  the  beveled  edge  of 
the  valve  head  with  a  soft  pencil.  Now  put  the  valve 
back  in  its  seat  and  turn  it  to  and  fro  again;  if  all  of 
the  pencil  marks  rub  off  it  shows  that  the  valve  sets  in 
its  seat  gas  tight  but  if  some  of  the  marks  remain  keep 
on  grinding  the  valve  until  the  pencil  mark  test  shows 
that  it  does  seat  right. 

Replacing  a  Weak  Valve  Spring. —  When  a  weak 
valve  spring  causes  loss  of  compression  put  in  a  new 
one.  You  can  test  the  elasticity  of  a  spring  by  slip- 
ping the  blade  of  a  screw  driver  between  the  turns 
of  it  while  the  engine  is  running.  If  the  engine  picks 
up  it  shows  that  the  spring  is  too  weak  and  that  a 
new  one  is  needed. 

Fixing  a  Few  Other  Troubles.—  ( i )  Common 
brown  soap  will  stop  gasoline  and  kerosene  leaks 
for  the  time  being.  (2)  Chewing  gum  will  stop  a 
water  leak,  temporarily,  if  it  is  not  too  bad.  (3) 
A  small  loss  of  compression  can  be  stopped  until  you 
get  a  chance  to  put  in  new  rings  by  using  more  oil 
or  heavier  oil.  (4)  In  driving  in  a  drift-key  always 
allow  a  %2  inch  clearance  on  top  or  you  may  split  the 
gear,  or  wheel,  but  the  key  must  fit  very  tight  on  the 
sides. 


TRACTOR  TROUBLES  247 

(5)  Never  run  your  tractor  when  the  clutch 
slips  as  the  heat  developed  will  injure  the  surfaces. 
It  only  takes  a  few  minutes  to  tighten  it  up  but  in 
doing  the  job  be  sure  to  expand  both  sides  alike. 
And,  finally,  (6)  gears  that  are  correctly  designed  and 
which  are  well  made  will  not  vibrate  to  any  extent 
or  make  any  great  amount  of  noise  unless  they  bottom, 
that  is  when  they  mesh  too  closely.  When  this  is  the 
case  the  peripheral  edges  of  the  teeth  of  one  gear  will 
impinge  on  the  bottom  between  the  teeth  of  the  other 
gear.  When  this  action  takes  place  you  must  give 
them  more  clearance  or  it  will  surely  wreck  the  shafts 
and  bearings.  All  you  need  to  do  to  give  them  clear- 
ance is  to  add  shims  to  the  bearings. 


CHAPTER  XI 

TRACTOR  REPAIRS  AND  HOW 
TO  MAKE  THEM 

There  are  two  chief  ways  in  which  much  time  is 
lost  where  implements  are  pulled  and  machines  are 
driven  by  tractors  and  these  are  ( i )  when  the  imple- 
ment or  machine  breaks  down  and  ( 2 )  when  the  tractor 
breaks  down.  And  don't  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
whenever  anything  happens  which  stops  the  work  in 
hand  you  are  paying  dearly  for  it. 

How  to  Prevent  Breakage. —  The  thing  to  do  then 
is  to  circumvent  all  possible  delays  and  the  way  to 
do  this  is  to  go  over  the  implement  or  machine  and 
the  tractor  with  due  care  before  you  couple  them  to- 
gether. 

As  farm  equipment  is  sent  to  the  various  branch 
houses  packed  in  the  safest  and  most  compact  manner 
much  of  it  has  to  be  reassembled  after  its  arrival  and 
this  work  is  often  done  by  men  who  know  more  about 
the  selling  end  than  they  do  about  the  working  end. 
Hence,  what  I  have  said  above  applies  particularly  to 
draw-bar  implements  and  belt  machinery. 

In  going  over  the  outfit  you  intend  using  tighten 
up  all  the  nuts  first  and  be  sure  not  to  skip  any.     It 

248 


TRACTOR  REPAIRS  249 

is  worse  than  useless  to  put  a  single  nut  on  a  bolt 
on  a  piece  of  machinery  unless  you  have  a  lock-washer 
under  it,  and  even  when  a  lock-washer  or  a  lock-nut 
is  used  the  jamb-nut  may  work  off  of  the  bolt  and  the 
latter  drop  out. 

I  have  known  of  instances,  and  you  probably  do 
too,  where  a  missing  bolt  shut  down  the  work  for  an 
hour  or  more,  nay  worse,  where  it  resulted  in  the 
actual  breaking  of  a  part  and  laid  up  the  whole  out- 
fit for  a  week  or  longer.  The  best  way  to  make  a 
bolt  stay  put  is  to  use  a  cotter-pin  in  the  end  of  it, 
though  this  is  not  always  feasible.  At  any  rate, 
tighten  up  every  nut  before  you  start  out  and  then  you 
will  be  working  on  a  safe  margin  and  can  go  ahead 
with  a  feeling  of  security. 

How  to  Repair  Broken  Parts. —  The  Tools  You 
Need. —  Should  any  minor  part  get  bent,  or  broken, 
or  lost,  you  want  to  be  able  to  repair  it,  or  make  a 
new  one,  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  To  this  end 
you  should  get  the  following  assortment  of  tools, 
namely,  (i)  a  blacksmith's  portable  forge  with  a 
lever-operated  rotary  blower;  (2)  a  50-pound  anvil 
with  tools;  (3)  a  fairly  heavy  blacksmith's  vise;  (4) 
a  post  drill  with  a  chuck  that  will  take  twist  drills 
up  to  %  an  inch;  (5)  a  couple  of  blacksmith's  hammers 
and  a  sledge;  (6)  a  pair  of  long  handled  tongs  and  a 
pair  of  pincers;  (7)  a  large  monkey  wrench  and  a 
Stilson  wrench,  and,  (8)  a  couple  of  rasps. 

A  kit  of  machinist's  tools  will  also  come  in  handy 
and  this  should  include  (a)  a  breast  drill  with  a  set 


250    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

of  twist  drills  from  -1^  to  %  inch  for  drilling  holes  in 
out  of  the  way  places;  (b)  a  hack-saw  with  a  dozen 
blades;  (c)  a  set  of  taps  and  dies  for  cutting  screw 
threads;  (d)  a  pair  of  tinner's  snips;  (e)  a  set  of  cold 
chisels;  (f)  a  blow  torch;  (g)  a  soldering  copper, 
and  finally,  (h)  a  set  of  wrenches. 

The  Materials  You  Need. —  A  supply  of  iron  bars 
and  rods  of  different  sizes  and  an  assortment  of 
various  sized  nuts  and  bolts  will  be  about  all  the  ma- 
terials you  will  have  to  keep  on  hand. 

On  Making  Emergency  Repairs. —  When  an 
ordinary  part  gets  lost,  bent,  or  broken,  you  can  easily 
make  a  new  part,  or  straighten,  or  repair,  the  old 
part  so  that  it  can  be  used,  either  temporarily  or  per- 
manently, with  the  above  tools  and  materials,  then 
and  there.  The  blacksmith's  forge,  vise,  post-drill 
and  other  tools  will  give  you  the  means  for  forging 
parts  of  considerable  size  provided  they  do  not  require 
great  strength  or  extreme  accuracy. 

You  will  find  the  machinist's  tools  useful  in  fashion- 
ing the  smaller  parts  and  fitting  them  in  places  for 
which  blacksmith's  tools  are  not  adapted.  With  the 
taps  and  dies  you  can  cut  threads  in  a  piece  of  metal 
or  on  a  rod  or  recut  old  threads  in  nuts  and  on  bolts. 
With  the  hack-saw  you  can  not  only  saw  off  iron  bars 
and  rods  but  you  can  saw  off  nuts  that  are  rusted 
on  so  tight  that  you  can't  start  them  with  either  a 
wrench  or  by  applying  the  heat  of  your  blow-torch. 
Finally,  with  the  soldering  outfit,  you  can  solder  leaks 
in  the  radiator,  fuel  tanks,  pipes,  etc. 


TRACTOR  REPAIRS  251. 

And,  right  here,  a  word  of  warning,  to  wit,  when 
you  are  going  to  solder  a  gasoline  can,  or  tank,  it  is 
not  enough  to  merely  empty  the  fuel  out  of  it,  but 
you  must  unscrew  the  filler  plug  and  let  it  remain  ex- 
posed to  the  air  for  a  few  hours.  Otherwise,  when 
you  go  to  solder  it  another  tractioneer  will  be  needed 
as  well  as  somebody,  like  Walt  Mason,  who  can  write 
an  epitaph,  for  gasoline  is  tremendously  explosive  when 
mixed  with  a  large  volume  of  air  as  against  gasoline 
alone. 

Replacing  Broken  Parts. —  All  tractors  that  are 
made  at  the  present  time  are  built  on  the  interchange- 
able plan;  that  is,  every  individual  part  that  is  turned 
out  is  of  exactly  the  same  size,  and,  hence,  it  will  fit 
any  tractor  of  the  type  and  size  turned  out  by  a  given 
maker. 

This  being  true  every  tractor  maker  issues  a  Price 
List  of  Parts  and  be  sure  that  you  get  your  copy 
when  you  buy  your  tractor.  This  list  gives  the  cor- 
rect name,  number,  cipher  word  and  price  and,  usually, 
a  picture  of  each  different  part  of  the  tractor,  so  that 
when  you  want  to  replace  a  damaged  part  you  can  look 
it  up  and  write  or  wire  for  it  to  the  makers*  nearest 
distributor. 

In  sending  by  mail  for  a  new  part  always  give  the 
number  of  your  tractor,  which  you  will  usually  find 
stamped  on  the  end  of  the  crankshaft  or  the  crank- 
case  of  the  engine. 

In  ordering  parts  by  letter  you  should  use  the  number 
given  in  the  repair  list,  and  if  there  is  an  alphabetic 


,252    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

letter  preceding,  or  following,  the  number  don't  fail 
to  give  it  also.  In  writing  it's  a  good  scheme  to  de- 
scribe the  part  as  well. 

The  cipher  words  given  in  the  list  enable  you  to 
order  easily,  cheaply  and  with  certainty  by  telegraph. 
In  this  case  use  the  cipher  word  only,  but  you  want 
to  be  sure  to  spell  it  right  and  then  have  the  tele- 
graph operator  spell  it  out  loud  to  you  so  that  he  won't 
get  it  wrong.  Makers  and  their  distributors  ship  all 
parts  that  are  ordered  by  telegraph  by  express  unless 
you  instruct  them  otherwise. 

Once  that  you  have  received  the  part  necessary  to 
make  the  replacement  with  it  takes  but  very  ordinary 
mechanical  ability  to  remove  the  bent  or  broken  part 
and  put  the  new  one  in  its  place  for  it  will  fit  exactly, 
or  practically  so. 

Repairing  Large  Broken  Parts. —  If  some  large 
and  costly  part  of  your  tractor  breaks,  as  a  cylinder, 
a  crankshaft,  an  axle,  etc.,  you  can  have  it  welded 
when  it  will  be  just  as  good  as  new,  and  at  a  cost 
considerably  lower  than  that  of  a  new  part. 

There  are  three  welding  processes  in  use  and  these 
are  (i)  the  oxyacetylene  process,  (2)  the  thermit 
process,  and  (3)  the  electric  process.  The  two  former 
processes  are  generally  used  for  making  welds  of 
broken  tractor  parts.  In  the  oxyacetylene  process 
acetylene  gas  is  burned  in  a  jet  of  oxygen  and  this 
makes  an  intense  welding  heat. 

In  the  thermit  process  aluminum  powder  is  mixed 
with  ferric  oxide,  when  the  compound  is  called  thermit. 


TRACTOR  REPAIRS  253 

When  this  is  ignited  it  burns  at  a  temperature  high 
enough  to  easily  melt  steel.  In  the  electric  process, 
an  electric  current  is  used  to  raise  the  heat  of  the 
part  at  the  juncture  to  the  welding  temperature. 

If  you  will  write  to  the  companies  named  below 
they  will  tell  you  of  the  shop  nearest  you  which  has 
an  outfit  and  can  make  the  weld.  You  ought  to  write 
now  so  that  you  won't  have  to  lose  the  time  when  you 
need  the  weld  made.  The  Prest-0-Lite  Co.,  206  Am- 
sterdam Ave.;  The  Goldschmidt  Thermit  Co.,  120 
Broadway,  and  The  Thompson  Electric  Welding  Co., 
30  East  42nd  St.,  all  of  New  York  City. 

On  the  Removal  of  Parts. —  As  the  tractors  of 
different  makers  are  of  widely  different  design  there 
is  no  hard  and  fast  rule  that  can  be  given  for  the  re- 
moval of  different  parts  from  them.  For  this  reason 
every  tractor  maker  issues  an  Instruction  Book  and 
you  want  to  be  sure  to  get  your  copy  when  you  buy 
a  tractor  for  it  will  tell  you  many  things  that  apply 
to  their  make  of  tractor  only. 

The  Instruction  Book  will  tell  you  how  to  take  out 
the  pistons,  the  main  bevel  pinion,  the  reverse  gear, 
the  belt  power  shaft,  the  intermediate  gear  shaft,  the 
main  drive  pinion,  the  differential,  if  your  tractor  has 
one,  the  axle,  and  a  lot  of  specialized  information 
concerning  the  particular  kind  of  equipment  that  is 
used. 

To  Take  Off  a  Drive  Wheel. —  As  this  is  an  opera- 
tion that  is  often  necessary  and  is  common  to  all 
tractors,  3o  it  this  way :     Set  the  jack  under  the  axle 


254    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

and  jack  it  up  until  the  wheel  is  off  of  the  ground. 
Then  block  it  up  with  timbers  so  that  by  no  possible 
chance  can  the  jack  give  way  when  you  start  to  pry 
off  the  wheel. 

To  Take  Off  and  Put  On  Cylinders.—  When  you 
have  to  take  off  or  put  on  a  cylinder  have  enough 
helpers  so  that  it  can  be  lifted  easily  and  then  do 
the  job  carefully  or  you  will  be  apt  to  injure  the  piston 
rings.  Further,  any  false  move  may  result  in  an  acci- 
dent that  will  lay  up  the  tractor  for  such  time  as  it 
takes  to  get  a  new  cylinder  and  will  cost  you  all  kinds 
of  money  for  the  replacement,  besides  the  worry 
that  always  goes  with  such  untoward  happenings.  In 
taking  off  a  cylinder  have  all  the  compression  cocks 
open  or  you  are  likely  to  have  more  help  than  you 
bargained  for. 

Regrinding  Old  Cylinders  and  Sleeves. —  As  I 
mentioned  way  over  there  in  the  third  chapter  some 
cylinders  are  formed  of  (i)  solid  blocks  of  iron 
bored  out,  and  that  the  better  ones  have  (2)  sleeves 
fitted  into  them,  so  that  they  can  be  removed  easily. 
In  either  kind  the  cylinder  walls  may  become  either 
(A)  scored,  that  is  scratched  by  the  road  dust  and 
carbon  particles  deposited  in  the  cylinder  or  by  a  broken 
piston  ring,  or  (B)  for  the  hole  to  be  worn  out  of 
true  by  the  angular  pressure  of  the  piston  on  its  down 
stroke. 

Now  there  are  three  ways  to  true  up  the  hole  of 
a  cylinder  and  these  are  (a)  by  grinding  it  out,  (b) 
by  reaming  it  out,  and  (c)  by  boring  it  out.     Grinding 


TRACTOR  REPAIRS  255 

is  the  most  successful  way  for  it  generates  the  hole 
true  with  the  face  of  the  cylinder,  the  bore  is  made 
round  and  the  walls  straight.  The  grinding  wheel  is 
not  affected  by  oil,  or  by  the  hard  or  soft  spots  in  the 
iron,  while  reamers  and  boring  tools  are  affected  more 
or  less  by  these  conditions.  The  Butler  Manufacture 
ing  Co.,  of  1120  East  Georgia  Street,  Indianapolis, 
Ind.,  will  give  you  prices  on  regrinding  the  cylinders 
of  your  engine. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT 

When  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  part  with 
your  good  money  and  accept  in  lieu  thereof  a  tractor 
you  want  to  go  into  the  deal  with  your  eyes  open. 
And  just  remember  it  isn't  what  the  salesman  says  but 
what  you  know  that  counts. 

Now  in  buying  a  tractor  I  may  be  of  some  small 
service  to  you,  in  a  silent  way,  to  be  sure,  but  none 
the  less  a  potential  agent,  who  oflfers  you  unprejudiced 
advice  for  I  am  in  the  automotive  business  but  not  in 
the  employ  of  any  engine  builder  or  tractor  maker, 
and  hence  I  stand  for  the  interest  of  the  consumer 
only. 

The  Field  to  Choose  From. —  As  you  have  seen 
in  going  over  this  book  there  are  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty  different  makes  of  tractors  and  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent sizes  for  you  to  choose  from  and,  there's  the 
rub,  for  the  field  is  so  large  that  it  would  take  the 
average  prospective  buyer  the  best  part  of  a  winter 
to  sift  the  literature  relating  to  all  of  them,  make  a 
comparison  of  their  merits  and  demerits  and  then 
select  the  one  that  seemed  to  come  the  closest  to  ful- 
filling the  required  specifications. 

To  save  you  all  of  this  bother  and  loss  of  time  I 

256 


KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT     257 

have  tried  to  correlate  my  researches  and  epitomize 
my  conclusions  concerning  tractors  in  a  broad  and 
understandable  way  in  this  final  chapter  and  I  hope 
that  they  will  (i)  enable  you  to  get  the  best  tractor 
made  for  the  amount  of  money  you  want  to  spend, 
and  (2)  induce  the  tractor  makers  to  make  even  better 
tractors  than  they  are  making  to-day. 

Kinds  of  Tractors. —  Structurally,  there  are  only 
three  kinds  of  tractors  and  these  are  ( i )  real  tractors, 
(2)  makeshift  tractors,  and  (3)  homemade  tractors. 
The  only  kind  of  tractors  I  have  explained  in  this 
book  are  real  pedigreed  tractors,  by  which  I  mean 
tractors  that  are  the  result  of  experimental  and  prac- 
tical work  from  the  beginning  of  the  tractor  industry 
and  which  are  designed  by  high  grade  engineers  and 
built  by  skilled  workmen  in  up  to  date  factories 
equipped  with  modern  machinery. 

What  I  call  makeshift  tractors  are  those  that  are 
made  out  of  motor  cars,  either  new  or  used,  either  by 
reconstructing  them  or  by  fitting  them  with  tractor 
drive  wheels  and  other  tractor  parts.  Motor  cars  are 
designed  for  speed  and  are  built  altogether  too  light 
for  draw-bar  and  belt  work  even  though  they  are  fitted 
with  proper  reduction  gears,  nor  are  they  sufficiently 
protected  against  the  dust  for  field  work. 

Finally,  no  farmer  would  attempt  to  built  a  tractor 
in  this  enlightened  day  of  precision  measurements, 
high  speed  steels  and  quantity  production  unless  he  is 
making  a  strenuous  bid  for  internment  in  a  psy- 
chopathic ward. 


258     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

What  to  Pay  for  a  Tractor. —  About  the  first  thing 
a  man  wants  to  know  when  he  gets  the  idea  of  buy- 
ing a  tractor  is  what  one  will  cost  him,  for  on  its 
initial  cost  as  well  as  on  its  upkeep  will  depend  its  value 
to  him  as  a  power  producer  for  his  farm. 

From  the  prices  given  in  this  book  you  will  have 
observed  that  various  sums  are  quoted  for  tractors 
having  the  same  horse  power  and  this  is  due  to  dif- 
ferences in  (i)  the  design  and  construction  of  them; 
(2)  the  materials  used  in  them;  (3)  the  shop  methods 
employed  in  making  them,  and  (4)  the  way  in  which 
they  are  sold. 

Your  chief  concern,  though,  is  in  the  design  and 
construction  of  the  tractor  itself  and  the  materials  used 
in  it  for  these  are  the  big  things.  So,  whatever  you 
do,  don*,t  buy  a  tractor  because  it  is  cheap,  for  it 
stands  to  reason  that  a  low-priced  tractor  can't  be 
built  as  well,  or  of  as  good  materials,  as  one  that  costs 
more  money  and  the  best  is  none  too  good  for  you. 
Still,  as  a  matter  of  farm  economy,  you  don't  want  to 
cut  into  your  working  capital  too  heavily. 

Hence,  you  must  estimate  (a)  the  amount  of  work 
the  tractor  will  do  in  a  year ;  (b)  the  value  of  the  work 
it  will  do;  (c)  the  value  of  the  horses  it  will  take  the 
place  of;  (d)  the  value  of  the  men's  work  it  will  do 
in  their  place,  and  (e)  the  additional  profits  which  you 
believe  will  accrue  to  you  by  using  it.  These  figures 
will  then  give  you  a  rough  idea  of  the  amount  you 
ought  to  spend  for  a  tractor. 

As  to  actual  prices,  $1,000  is  enough  to  pay  for 


KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT     259 

a  good  2-plow  tractor;  $1,400  for  a  3-plow  tractor, 
and  $2,000  for  a  4-plow  tractor,  while  the  plows  that 
go  with  them  sell  for  about  $150,  $200  and  $260,  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  bottoms  they  have. 

Getting  a  Tractor  of  the  Right  Size. —  In  the 
chapters  over  toward  the  front  I  explained  all  about 
the  size  of  the  tractor  you  need  for  farms  of  different 
acreages  and  which  I  based  on  the  number  of  plows  the 
various  tractors  are  recommended  to  pull  and  the  belt 
horse  power  they  are  rated  to  develop. 

Now,  right  here,  I  want  to  emphasize  the  importance 
of  getting  the  right  size  tractor  for  your  farm.  If 
you  buy  one  that  does  not  develop  enough  power  to 
do  the  draw-bar  or  belt  work  required  of  it,  you  will 
either  have  (i)  to  sell  it  and  buy  a  new  one;  (2) 
trade  it  in  for  a  larger  one,  or  (3)  hire  a  more  power- 
ful one  to  do  the  work,  and  you  will  find  any  of  these 
transactions  a  losing  deal. 

Contrariwise,  if  you  buy  a  tractor  that  develops 
more  power  than  you  need  you  cannot  handle  it  to 
as  good  an  advantage  and,  what  is  more  to  the  point, 
its  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance  will  be  increased. 
A  tractor  of  the  right  size  is  the  only  one  you  can  af- 
ford to  buy  if  you  are  farming  for  profit. 

The  Five  Prime  Factors. —  Knowing  now  the 
price  you  want  to  pay  and  the  size  of  the  tractor  you 
need  the  next  thing  to  consider  is  the  general  con- 
struction of  the  tractors  you  intend  to  choose  from. 

There  are  five  prime  factors  in  the  makeup  of  a  good 
tractor  and  these  are  whether  (i)  it  is  built  on  the 


26o     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

interchangeable  plan,  (2)  it  is  of  substantial  construc- 
tion, (3)  its  parts  are  made  of  the  best  kind  of  steel, 
properly  treated,  (4)  it  is  fitted  with  ball  and  roller 
bearings,  and  (5)  if  all  of  the  working  parts  are  en- 
tirely enclosed.  If  you  can  buy  a  tractor  that  includes 
all  of  these  good  features,  by  all  means  do  so  and 
you  will  get  the  full  value  of  your  purchase  price. 

The  Interchangeable  Plan. —  As  far  as  I  know  all 
tractors  are  built  on  the  interchangeable  parts  plan, 
that  is,  every  like  part  of  a  given  type  and  size  of  a 
maker's  tractor  will  fit  any  other  tractor  of  like  type 
and  size  made  by  the  same  maker.  If  there  are  any 
tractors  on  the  market  that  are  not  built  on  the  inter- 
changeable plan  my  advice  to  you  is  to  keep  away 
from  them. 

Substantial  Construction. —  While  you  do  not 
want  a  tractor  that  is  too  heavy  you  certainly  do  not 
want  one  that  is  built  too  light.  You  don't  have  to  be 
a  mechanical  engineer  to  tell  by  looking  at  a  tractor 
whether  its  general  construction  is  heavy  enough  for 
field  work  and  don't  buy  one  if,  in  your  opinion,  it 
is  not  built  strong  enough  to  stand  up  under  the  work. 

The  Kind  of  Steels  Used.— To  hold  together 
under  the  wear  and  tear  a  tractor  is  subjected  to  the 
frame  should  be  made  of  steel  and  if  it  is  of  the  built 
up  type  be  sure  it  is  hot  riveted.  Don't  buy  a  tractor 
with  a  cast  iron  frame.  The  front  axle  should  be 
made  of  drop  forged  steel  and  the  rear  axle  of  chrome- 
nickel  steel,  though  high-grade,  open-hearth  steel  is  gen- 
erally used  for  these  parts. 


KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT    261 

The  shafts  of  the  transmission  system  should  be  of 
chrome-nickel,  or  manganese  steel,  while  the  gears  of 
the  transmission  should  be  of  chrome-nickel  steel,  heat 
treated  and  not  case  hardened.  Crucible  steel  is  largely 
used  for  making  cheap  gears.  Don't  buy  a  tractor 
with  cast  gears  and,  whatever  kind  you  get,  be  sure 
the  gears  are  machined. 

Don't  let  any  salesman  tell  you  that  steels  of  any 
other  kind  than  those  I  have  cited  as  best,  are  "  just 
as  good  "  for  he  either  doesn't  know  or  else  he  is  try- 
ing to  put  one  over  on  you. 

Ball  and  Roller  Bearings. —  Every  bearing  in  the 
transmission  system,  the  front  and  rear  wheels  and  the 
fan,  should  have  either  ball  or  roller  bearings.  Ball 
bearings  are  the  best  where  there  is  no  great  load  upon 
them  for  they  run  with  less  friction,  but  roller  bear- 
ings are  the  best  where  the  load  upon  them  is  heavy 
for  while  there  is  a  little  more  friction  they  stand  up 
better.  In  any  event,  see  to  it  that  the  axles  and 
every  shaft  has  a  ball  or  roller  bearing  and  I  wouldn't 
take  a  tractor  with  plain  bearings. 

All  Enclosed  Mechanism. —  Of  as  much,  or  more, 
importance  than  the  above  enumerated  factors  is  this 
last  one  of  having  all  the  working  parts  enclosed.  If 
I  was  in  the  market  to-day  for  a  tractor  I  wouldn't, 
under  any  circumstances,  buy  one  in  which  any  of  the 
working  parts  from  the  engine  to  the  final  drive  were 
exposed. 

It's  the  dust  and  the  dirt  that  grinds  the  life  out 
of  the  bearings  of  a  tractor  and  the  better  the  mechan- 


262    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

ism  is  enclosed,  all  other  factors  being  equal,  the 
fewer  stops  you  will  have  to  make,  the  lower  will  be 
your  repair  costs  and  the  longer  your  tractor  will 
last. 

The  Wheel  vs.  the  Crawler. —  There  is  not  a  great 
deal  of  choice  between  these  two  types  of  tractors  ex- 
cept where  soil  conditions  make  the  crawler  preferable. 
In  the  wheel  type,  however,  there  is  less  friction. 

The  Wheel  Tractor. —  Nearly  all  wheel  tractors  are 
made  with  four  wheels  and,  therefore,  we  must  assume, 
that  the  majority  of  engineers  who  design  tractors, 
believe  that  the  four  wheel  type  with  the  three-point 
suspension  is  better  adapted  for  tractor  work  than 
the  three  wheel  tractor,  just  as  four  wheels  have  long 
ago  been  considered  more  serviceable  for  all  kinds  of 
horse-drawn  and  motor  vehicles. 

While  a  single  drivewheel  makes  a  differential  un- 
necessary, a  pair  of  drive  wheels  is  more  efficient  since 
they  have  a  larger  surface  area  and  hence  they  make 
better  contact  with  the  soil.  In  some  tractors  a  drum 
is  used  which  does  away  with  the  differential  and  at 
the  same  time  it  offers  as  much  or  more  contact  sur- 
face than  a  pair  of  wheels. 

Large  drive  wheels  are  better  than  small  ones  for 
they  not  only  provide  a  larger  contact  area,  and,  hence, 
have  more  traction  resistance  than  wheels  of  smaller 
diameter,  but  they  make  the  tractor  ride  over  rough 
ground  easier.  The  latter  is  also  true  regarding  a 
long  wheel-base  of  a  tractor,  namely,  it  will  travel 


KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT     263 

over  rough  ground  with  less  jarring  motion  than  one 
with  a  short  wheel-base. 

The  Crawler  Tractor, —  Of  course,  you  know  how 
the  tanks  in  France  made  their  way  through  mud,  went 
through  sand,  moved  over  rough  roads  and  crawled 
over  trenches  where  any  kind  of  a  wheel  vehicle  could 
not  have  gone.  Well,  the  crawler  type  of  tractor  was 
the  model  used  upon  which  the  tank  was  designed. 

The  jointed  tracks  of  the  crawler  tractors  go  over 
the  uneven  ground  by  traveling  over  a  smooth  steel 
roadway  of  its  own  making. 

The  crawler  type  of  tractor  has  many  times  the 
number  of  square  inches  of  surface  contact  with  the 
ground  possessed  by  the  wheel  tractor  and,  hence, 
where  the  latter  tends  to  pack  the  soil,  by  virtue  of 
the  weight  of  the  tractor  resting  on  this  small  sur- 
face area,  the  weight  of  the  crawler  is  distributed  over 
a  large  surface  area  in  about  the  proportion  of  about 
40  to  90  pounds  per  square  inch  in  the  wheel  tractor 
as  against  about  6  pounds  per  square  inch  in  the 
crawler.  In  other  words  if  your  farm  is  soft,  rough 
or  hilly  a  crawler  tractor  will  serve  you  better  than 
a  wheel  tractor. 

The  Differences  in  Engines. —  The  Number  of 
Cylinders. —  A  four  cylinder  engine  is  better  than  a 
two  cylinder  engine  because  in  the  former  the  power 
stroke  takes  place  twice  during  every  revolution  of  the 
crankshaft,  whereas,  in  the  latter  the  power  stroke  takes 
place  only  once  in  every  revolution.     For  tractors  I 


264     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

do  not  consider  a  six  or  an  eight  cylinder  engine  any 
better  than  one  with  only  four  cylinders  except  where 
more  power  is  needed. 

The  Horizontal  versus  the  Vertical  Engine. —  There 
is  no  reason  why  a  horizontal  engine  is  not  just  as 
good  as  a  vertical  engine  for  tractors  except  that  it  is, 
perhaps,  a  little  harder  to  lubricate.  The  fact  re- 
mains, however,  that  all  motor  cars  and  motor  trucks 
are  powered  with  vertical  engines  and  nearly  all  tractors 
are  similarly  equipped;  that  this,  then,  will  be  the 
standard  practice  in  the  course  of  time  there  is  very 
little  doubt. 

Solid  Cylinders  versus  Sleeve  Cylinders. —  The 
scheme  of  using  a  removable  sleeve  in  the  cylinder  is 
what  I  should  call  a  great  improvement  in  engine 
building  and  both  horizontal  and  vertical  engines  are 
built  with  them.  The  ease  with  which  a  sleeve  can  be 
removed,  reground,  and  replaced,  or  a  new  one  put 
in  and  its  low  cost,  makes  it  worthy  of  your  considera- 
tion. 

L,  T  and  Valve-in-the-Head  Engines. —  Where  L 
and  T  head  engines  are  used  the  heads  are  seldom  re- 
movable and  you  can  get  at  the  valves  to  regrind  them 
with  very  little  trouble.  But  the  consensus  of  engin- 
eering opinion  is  that  the  valve-in-the-head  type  is 
more  efficient  because  there  are  no  side  pockets  or 
valve  chambers  and.  consequently,  the  full  force  of  the 
explosions  act  directly  on  the  piston  head  instead  of 
part  of  it  being  dissipated  in  these  out  of  the  way 
places. 


KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT     265 

Position  of  the  Engine  on  the  Tractor. —  In  some 
tractors  the  engine  sets  with  its  crankshaft  parallel 
with  the  length  of  the  frame  and  in  others  it  sets  hori- 
zontally. When  in  this  latter  position  it  eliminates  the 
bevel  gears  that  are  necessary  to  turn  the  power  at 
right  angles.  While  the  former  method  reduces  the 
numbet  of  gears  necessary  and  uses  spur-gears  only, 
bevel  gears  are  just  as  efficient  as  power  producers 
and  there  is  no  objection  to  their  use. 

Splash  and  Force  Feed  Lubrication. —  An  engine 
that  has  a  splash  or  a  circulating  force  feed  system  of 
lubrication  will  give  you  very  satisfactory  service 
but  one  that  is  fitted  with  an  individual  pump  posi- 
tive oil  feed  is  better  and  it  also  adds  to  the  cost  of 
the  tractor.  I  consider  the  latter  a  necessary  adjunct 
to  every  large  tractor. 

Radiators  and  the  Water  Cooling  Systems. — 
Radiators  should  by  all  means  be  made  of  copper 
and  for  tractor  engines  I  prefer  the  tubular  type, 
also  the  pump  circulating  system  rather  than  the 
thermo-syphon  system,  and  fan  cooling  instead  of  using 
the  exhaust  of  the  engine  for  this  purpose. 

The  Matter  of  Fuels. —  Various  makes  of  tractor 
engines  of  the  same  rated  horse  power  use  different 
amounts  of  fuel  per  horse  power  but  as  the  difference 
is  practically  a  negligible  quantity,  you  don't  need  to 
pay  any  attention  to  it. 

Gasoline  is  the  better  fuel  for  tractor  engines  as  it 
vaporizes  easier,  is  less  apt  to  produce  carbon,  makes 
the  engine  run  smoother  and  is  not  as  likely  to  give 


266    FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

trouble  as  kerosene.  Kerosene,  on  the  other  hand, 
only  costs  about  half  as  much  as  gasoline  and  it  is  a 
very  satisfactory  fuel  when  used  in  engines  that  are 
built  to  run  on  it. 

When  water  is  injected  with  the  kerosene  into  the 
cylinders  it  helps  to  convert  the  fuel  into  gas  and  to 
remove  the  carbon,  but  these  good  features  are  counter- 
balanced by  the  water  leaving  a  lime  deposit  in  the 
cylinders  and  it  has,  besides,  a  very  bad  effect  on  the 
pistons  and  cylinder  walls. 

Don't  buy  a  tractor  unless  the  carburetor  is  pro- 
vided with  an  air  cleaner.  Nearly  all  tractor  makers 
use  the  dry  air  cleaner  in  preference  to  the  water  air 
cleaner  because  the  former  is  smaller  and  is  less  trouble- 
some. 

The  Ignition  System  You  Want. —  When  you  buy 
a  tractor  be  sure  the  engine  is  equipped  with  the 
magneto  ignition  system,  and  by  all  means  get  one  that 
has  an  impulse  starter.  A  magneto  system  requires 
practically  no  care,  whereas  with  a  storage  battery  and 
circuit  breaker  system  you  are  up  against  the  proposi- 
tion of  keeping  it  on  your  mind  even  when  you  are 
asleep. 

Engine  Governors. —  While  centrifugal  governors 
are  the  most  widely  used  the  newer  kinds  are  all  right, 
too.  Don't  invest  in  a  tractor  without  a  governor 
and  don't  take  one  where  the  governor  is  exposed  to 
the  dust. 

The  Power  Take  Off. —  Some  tractors  are  made 
with  the  power  take  off  pulley  mounted  in  front,  or  in 


KIND  OF  TRACTOR  YOU  WANT     267 

the  rear  on  a  shaft  that  runs  parallel  with  the  length 
of  the  frame.  The  trouble  with  this  kind  of  a  power 
take  off  is  that  it  is  so  all-fired  hard  to  get  the  tractor 
pulley  in  alignment  with  the  machine  pulley  and  then 
to  take  up  the  slack  in  the  belt  for  you  can't  back  into 
it.  Where  the  pulley  is  on  the  side  of  the  tractor 
backing  into  the  belt  is  an  easy  matter. 

Accept  the  Transmission  System. —  When  you  can 
satisfy  yourself  on  all  of  the  foregoing  recommenda- 
tions I  have  made  accept  whatever  kind  of  a  clutch, 
transmission,  differential  and  final  drive  the  tractor  may 
have  for  you  can  depend  on  it  the  makers  have  put  in 
the  best  transmission  system  they  could  according  to 
their  light. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  get  a  tractor  with  a  transmis- 
sion that  has  two  or  more  speeds  forward  for  this  will 
enable  you  to  change  the  speed  of  your  tractor  within 
certain  limits  without  changing  the  adjustment  of  the 
governor.  Whether  there  is  a  differential  doesn't 
matter,  but  the  matter  of  the  final  drive  is  important 
and  as  to  the  kind  to  be  used  there  is  wide  difference  of 
opinion,  though  personally  I  like  the  worm-gear  drive 
the  best. 

The  Steering  Gear  and  Brakes. —  A  steering  gear 
with  a  worm  and  nut  movement  and  a  knuckle  axle 
is  by  all  odds  the  easiest  to  handle.  Every  tractor 
should  have  two  brakes,  one  on  the  transmission  shaft, 
to  keep  it  from  spinning,  and  the  other  an  emergency 
brake,  and  don't  take  a  tractor  unless  it  is  so  equipped. 

The  Firms  Back  of  the  Tractors. —  As  a  last  word 


268     FARM  AND  GARDEN  TRACTORS 

you  want  to  give  due  consideration  to  whether  the 
maker  of  the  tractor  which  you  are  thinking  of  buy- 
ing (the  tractor  I  mean)  is  going  to  be  in  the  busi- 
ness the  next  year,  or  will  be  like  dozens  of  other 
tractor  manufacturers  i.e.,  cash  in  his  chips  prematurely. 

Your  sole  interest  in  his  longevity  lays  in  the  fact 
that  if  he  makes  his  exeunt  through  the  little  green 
door  of  bankruptcy  you  will  probably  not  be  able  to 
get  replacements  at  all.  Further,  the  larger  and  older 
a  concern  is  the  more  distributors  it  is  likely  to  have, 
which  means  that  there  will  be  one  within  easy  reach 
of  you,  and,  finally,  the  latter  will  always  have  on 
hand  a  full  stock  of  replacement  parts. 

These  are  vital  elements  in  keeping  your  tractor 
going  day  after  day,  week  in  and  week  out  and  it  is 
only  when  you  can  use  it  continuously  and  with  cer- 
tainty that  you  can  make  a  success  of  farming  with  it 


APPENDIX  I 

How  to  Find  the  Horse  Power  of  a  Tractor  En- 
gine.—  The  way  to  find  the  horse  power  of  an  internal 
combustion  engine  of  any  kind  whether  it  has  vertical  or 
horizontal  cyhnders  and  no  matter  what  kind  of  fuel  it 
uses  is  easily  done  by  using  the  following  formulae : 

For  a  Four  Stroke  Cycle  Engine. 

D^XN 
H.  P.  = 


2.5 
where  H.  P.  is  the  horse  power  of  the  engine  and  is 
what  you  want  to  find, 
D^  is  the  diameter  of  the  bore  of  the  cyHnder 

and  this  you  square, 
N  is  the  number  of  cylinders,  and  2.5  is  a  con- 
stant. 

For  a  Two  Stroke  Cycle  Engine. 

D^x  N 
H.  P.  = 


1-5 

The  symbols  in  this  formula  represent  the  same  quan- 
tities as  those  given  for  the  four  stroke  cycle  engine. 


269 


APPENDIX  II 

How  to  Find  the  Belt  Horse  Power  of  a  Tractor 
Engine. —  The  following  formula  for  figuring  the  belt 
horse  power  of  a  tractor  engine  has  been  adopted  by  the 
Society  of  Automotive  Engineers. 

D2  X  L  X  A  X  N 

Belt  H.P.  = 

14.000 

where  Belt  H.  P.  is  the  tractor  engine  belt  horse  power 

and  is  what  you  want  to  find, 
D^  is  the  diameter  of  the  engine  cylinder 

squared, 
L  is  the  length  of  the  stroke  in  inches, 
A  is  the  revolutions  per  minute  of  the 

engine, 
N  is  the  number  of  cylinders,  and  14,000 

is  a  constant. 

This  formula  will  give  the  belt  horse  power  of  the 
engine  very  closely  but  to  find  out  the  belt  horse  power 
accurately  you  must  use  a  dynamometer.     (See  page  3.) 


270 


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271 


INDEX 


Acetylene   gas   lighting,  96 
Advance-Rumley    Thresher   Co.,    182 
Air    Cleaners,    66,    266 
Air    cooled    engines,     52 
Air  pressure  fuel  feed  system,  61 
Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.  Co.,   156 
Andrews  friction  drive  clutch,   107 
Andrews    Tractor    Co.,    173 
Andrews    12-25    tractor,    173-175 
Anti-freezing    solution,    224 
Armature    magneto,    80 
Assemblies,    front    axle,    123 
Atlantic  Machine  and  Mfg.  Co.,  140 
Aultman-Taylor  Machinery   Co.,    184 
Aultman-Taylor  tractors,    184,    185 
Austin    Co.,    Inc.,    F.    C.,    171 
Austin    15-30    tractor,    171,    172 
Automatic   air   valve,   6^ 
Automatic    guide    steering    controls, 

132 
Automotive   line   steering   gear   con- 
trol, 129 
Auto-tiller    garden    tractor,    150—152 
Avery    Company,     186 
Avery    spur    gear    transmission,    110 
Avery   tractors,    186,    187 
Axle    assemblies,    123 
Axles,    21,    260 

Babbitt  bearings,  30,  38 

Ball   bearings,   30,    261 

Ball   and    socket   suspension,    20 

Bates  Machine  and  Traction  Co.,  187 

Bates   Steel    Mule,    187-189 

Battery,    dry    cell,    70 

storage,     70 
Battery   system,  electric  ignition,  68 

circuit   breaker,    69,    75 

distributor,   72 

ignition     coil,     72 

interruptor,  71 

spark  coil,   72 

timer,    72 
Bean  Spray  Pump   Co.,    165 
Bean   track   pull   6-10   tractor,    165- 

Bearings,  29,   30 
Babbitt,    38 
bronze,    38 
bull,     261 

connecting   rod,    233 
crankshaft,    234 
plain,  s6i 


Bearings  —  continued 

roller,    261 

shims  for,  247 

taking   up   the,    233 
Beeman    garden    tractor,     143-148 
Beeman   Garden    Tractor   Co.,    143 
Belt    fan    drive,    59 
Belt  H.  P.  of  a  tractor,  3 

applications  of,   205,   211 

how    to    find,    270 

table  of,   7 
Belt   and    pulley,    214 

how   to   find   speed   of  a,    95,   215, 
217 

putting  on  fan,  225 

to    tighten    fan,    237 
Bendix    starter    drive,    89 
Bennett  dry  air  cleaner,  67 
Best  Gas  Engine  Traction  Co.,  C.  L., 

190 
Bevel   gear  transmission,    110 
Big   farm   tractors,    182,   204 
Bolt,    fastening   a,    249 
Borg   and    Beck   clutch,    102 
Bosch    high    tension    magneto,    85 
Brakes,    136,  267 

emergency,    137 

pulley,    95 

transmission,    136 
Broken    parts,    248 

how    to    repair,    249,    252 

replacing,    251 

welding,  252 
Bull    gear,    120 

pinion,     120 
Butler  Mfg.   Co.,  255 
Butterfly    valve,    64 
Buying  a   tractor,    256 


Carbon,    to    remove,    234 
Carburetors,    40 

air   cleaner   for,    266 

Holley    oil    for,    66 

making   of,   6i 

operation    of,    63 

throttle     for,     64 

use    of,    59,    61 

with  vaporizer,  65 
Care    of   luel    system,    225 
Care   of   ignition    system,   227 
Care  of  tractors,  218,   220,  228,  229 
Case    hardened    gears,    36 


273 


274 


INDEX 


Case  Threshing  Machine  Co.,  J.  I., 

191 
Case  tractors,   191,  192 
Caterpillar    tractor,    24,    195,     196 

members   of,    27,    195 

views   of,    34,    35 
Cellular   radiator,    54 
Centrifugal    governor,    gi 
Chain    drive,    119 
Chain    fan    drive,    59 
Christensen  gas   starter,   90 
Change-gears,    107 
Circuit  breaker  and  condenser,  70 
Circuit  breaker  system,   69,   266 

care    of    the,    227 

operation    of,    75 
Circulating    lubricating     system,     47 

Circulating  pumps,   57 
Cleaning  your  tractor,   228 
Clearance  of  tractors,  8 
Cletrac    crawler    track,    28 
Cletrac  12—20  tractor,   167-169 
Cleveland  Tractor  Company,  167 
Clutches,  98-107 

dog,    1 1 7 

tightening    of,    247 
Clutch    steering    gear    for    crawlers, 

Commercial    hitches,     208 
Compression,  loss  of,  244,  246 
Compensating    gears,    114 
Compression    stroke,   43 
Compression   wheels,   25 
Condenser   and   circuit   breaker,    70. 

71 
Cone  clutches,   102 
Connecting  rod  bearings,  233 

shims,   233 
Control,   spark,   2^2,   237 
Control  line  steering  gear,  129 
Controls,    automatic    link    steering, 

132 
Cooling   engine,    224 

fan,    58,   225 

oil,   225 

systems,    52.    5S»    265 

water,   224 
Corn  busker  and  shredder,   212 
Corn    sheller,   213 
Cotta    multiple  ,aisk    clutch,    102 
Counter  transmission   shafts,   113 
Crankshaft   engine,   37 

bearings,   234 
Crawler  E.F.T.  6-12,    158 
Crawler    tractors,    263 

length  and  area  of  face  of,  10 

members  of,   27 

operation    of,    2j 

shoes  of,   28 

steering   of,    133 

vs.   wheel  tractors,   262 
Cultitractor  2F-15,    160,    161 
Cultivators,  hitches  for,  207 


Cylinders,    37 
number  of,    263 
putting    on,     253 
regrinding    old,    253 
sleeves   of,    253 
solid    vs.    sleeve,    264 
taking  off,   253 

Dead     axle,     23 

Differential  dog  clutches,    117 

Differentials,    113 

locking,    117 

operation   of,    114 

pinions    of,    115 

use   of,    113 
Djgging  in   of  tractor,   27 
Disk  clutches,    100 
Distributor  for  battery  system,  92 
Draft  of  a  tractor,   166 
Draw  bar,   21 

applications,  205 

height   of,    8 

horse   power,   4,    7,    209 

loadings,    209 

ratings,    210 

tests,   4 
Draw  bar  pull  at  various  speeds,  371 

how   to   figure,   210 

in    pounds,    6 

rating   of,   4 

tables    of,    7,    271 
Drift  key,  driving  in,  346 
Drive,   the   final,    118 
Drive  axle,   23 
Drive  wheel,  8 

grips    27 

to  take  off  a,  253 
Driving  members,  weight  on,   10 
Dog   clutches.    117 
Double   wheel,  knuckle  control,    127 

swivelled    axle   control,    126 
Drum  traction  members,  27 
Dry    air    cleaners,    67 
Dry    cell    battery,    70 
Dry    plate    clutch,    100 
Dynamometer  for  finding  belt  H.P., 
270 

E.B.,  12-20  model  AA  tractor,  175- 

^  „  *77 

E.B.,    tractors,    194*    I9S 

Economy,  258 

farm,    258 

in   price   of  tractor,   231 
E.F.T. ,    6-12    crawler    tractor,     158, 

160 
Edison   and  the   horse,    139 
Eiseman  impulse  starter,  86 
Elder  fields  Mechanics  Co.,   148 
Electric    governor,    92 
Electric  ignition  system,  68 
Electric     starter,     27 
Electric   tractor   lighting,   97 
Electric    welding,    252 


INDEX 


275 


Emergency    brake,    137 
Emergency    repairs,    250 
Emerson-Brautingham  Co.,   175,   194 
Enclosed    mechanism,    261 
Endless  tracks  traction  members,  27 
Engine,   carburetor  of,  62 

cooling  of,  52,  224 

complete   tractor,   96 

connecting  rod  of,  37 

crankshaft    of,    37 

cylinders   of   37,   263 

dynamometer,    270 

exhaust  valves  of,  38 

feeding  with   fuel,    59 

finding  belt  H.P.   of,   269,   270 

fuel    feed    system    of,    60 

governors,    91,    266 

ignition   system,  see   Electric  igni- 
tion   systems. 

inlet  valve  of,   58 

internal    combustion,    i 

knocking  of,    232 

loss  of  power,  242 

lubrication   of,  47,  221,  265 

multicylinder,   the,   44   * 

operation   of,   37 

over-heating,    237 

piston    of,    37 

position  of,  265 

power    take    oft,    94 

racing,    239 

single   cylinder,   the,   42 

starters,   86 

timing  gears   of,   38 

torque  of,   46 

troubles    and    how    to    fix    them. 
Chap.    X 
Engines,  differences  in,  263 

horizontal  vs.   vertical,   264 

solid    vs.    sleeve    cylinder,    264 
Ensilage    cutter,    213 
Estimating  traction  economy,  2^8 
Ejchaust    and    inlet    valves,    timing 

of,  44 
Exhaust  stroke,  44 
Exhaust  valve,  38 
Expanding  band  clutch,    103 
Expanding    shoe    clutch,    104 
External   bull   gear  drive,    119 

Face  of  crawlers,  10 

Face  of  drive  and  non-drive  wheels, 

8 
Fan   belt,   putting  on,   225 

tightening,    237 
Fan  cooling,  58,  225 
Farm    economy,    258 
Farm  tractors,  2 

for  average  farms,  164 

for  big  farms,    182,   204 

for    small    farms,    2 
Farmer's    self   guide,    132 
Feed  grinder,   214 
Final  drives,    118,    119 


Firms  back  of  the  tractors,  267 

Five  wheel  tractor,  25 

Fire  point,  227 

Fixing  tractor  troubles,  232,  246 

Flash  test,   221 

Flexible   joint,    244 

Floating   governor,    92 

Flyball  governor,  91 

Force    feed    lubricating   system,    48, 

26s 
Ford   and   Son,    Inc.    Henry,    169 
Fordson    T2-22   tractor,    169-170 

lubricating  the,  222 
Formula  for  draw  bar  pull,  210 

for  belt  H.P.  of  a  tractor  engine, 
269,    270 

for  belt  or  pulley  speed,  215,  217 

for    size   of   pulley,    216 
Frame  of  a  tractor,   17 
Frames,    cast    iron,    260 
Friction,     29—30 
Friction    drive    clutch,    107 
Friction  wheel  transmission,  107 
Front   axle   assemblies,    123 
Front  suspension,  20 
Fuel    charge,    41,    42 
Fuel,    amount   used,    265 

gasoline,    225,    265 

feeding  engine  with,  59,  60 

kerosene,    266 

mixtures,   41,   65,   66,   233 

oils,    227 

systems,  care  of,  225 

Garden  tractors,  2,  139,  140 

Auto   Tiller,    150 

Beeman,     143-148 

Merry     Garden     Auto     Cultivator, 
140,    143 

tools  for,   145 

Universal,    1-4,    9 
Gas   and  air   starter,   90 
Gas  lighting  for  tractors,  96 
Gasoline,   225,   265 

leaks,    246 

specific  gravity  of,  225 

tanks,    soldering    on,    250 

testing,   225 
Gear,   steering,    122,   267 
Gear  oil   pump,   50 
Gears,    31 

bottoming,    247 

cast,   36 

change,     107 

compensating,  114 

fan    drive,    59 

machined,  261 

ratio  of  transmission,  il 

timing,    38 

transmission,     107 
Gearset,   107 

transmission,     108 
General    purpose   6-12   tractor,    156- 
158 


276 


INDEX 


Governors,  centrifugal,  91 

electric,    92 

engine,   266 

floating,   92 

flyball,  91 

operating  of,   91 
Guide  steering  controls,    132 
Grades,     graphic     representation     of, 

238 
Grain   thresher,    211 
Graveyard   for  tractors,    182 
Gravity   fuel    feed   system,   60 
Grinding   of   valves,    244 
Guiding  paste,  how  to  make,  245 
Grounding  of  ignition  system,  74 
Grounded   induction    magnetos,    78 

Harrows,    hitches    for,    206 
Harvesting    machines,     hitches    for, 

208 
Hay   baling   press   212 
Heat  treatment  for  gears,  36 
High  tension  magneto,  83 

diagram    of   wiring,   85 
Hiring    a    tractioneer,    219 
Hitches,    commercial,    208 

for  listers,  cultivators  and  wagons, 
207 

for  mowers  and  harvesters,  206 

for  plows  and  harrows,  208 

home-made,    209 

need  for,  205 
Holley  oil  carburetor,  66 
Holt  Mfg.   Co.,  24,   195 
Home  made  tractors,  257 
Horizontal   vs.   vertical   engines,   264 
Horse  as  a  motor,   139 
Horse    power    defined,    3 

how   to   find,   269,   270 

of   tractor    belt,    3 

of  tractor   draw  bar,  4,  7,   209 

see  also  Draw  bar 

unit  of,  3 

Ignition  coil   for  battery  system,   72 

for    inductor   magneto,    77 
Ignition  system,  care  of,  227 

grounding  of,   74 

choice    01,    266 
Impeller   of   pump,    58 

replacing    water,    238 
Implements,    garden    tractor,    145 
Impulse    starter,    86,    266 

on    magneto,   243 
Indiana   5-10   tractor,    153,    154 
Indiana  Silo   Co.,    154 
Individual    Lubricating    pump,    51 
Inductor    magneto,    low    tension,    77, 

79 
Inductors  of  magnetos,  77 
Inlet  and  exhaust  valves,  timing  of, 

44 
Inlet  valve  of  engine,  38 
Instruction    book,    tractor,    253 


Interchangeable  parts,  260 
Internal     bull    gear    drive,     120 
Internal    combustion    engine,     1 

See   also    Engine 
Intermediate      transmission      shafts, 

H3 
International    Harvester    Co.,    197 
International   15-30  tractor,   197,    198 
Interrupter,    battery     system,     71 

Kerosene,    266 
Kerosene    leaks,    246 
Knocking  of  engine,  232 
Knuckle   and    axle   assembly,    124 

L.A.    Auto    Tractor    Company,     162 

Leader   crawler    mechanism,    29 

L   head    engines,    264 

Lighting  tractor,  96 

Line  steering  gear  control,    129,   130 

Line   of   travel,    26 

Little    Bear   4-8   tractor,    162,    163 

Listers,    hitches    for,    207 

Live  axle,   23 

Load,    lightening    the,    238 

Locking    differential,     117 

Low  tension   armature  magrneto,  80, 

82 
Low    tension    inductor    magneto,    77 

diagram    of,    83 
Lubrication   chart,   223 

of    tractor    engine,    47,    205,    220, 
221 

of    transmission    system,    221 
Lugs  on  drive  wheels,  26 

Man   as  a  motor,    139 

Manifold,    the,    46 

Machined    gears,    36 

Machines,     pulleys     and     belts     for, 

214 
Makeshift   tractors,    257 
Magneto,    care    of,    227 

correct    timing    of,    242 

diagrams    of    inductor    system,   80, 
83 

high    tension    inductor,    83 

ignition   coil   for   inductor,   76,  77, 

.    79. 

Ignition    system,    266 

impulse    starter,    86,    243 

low  tension  inductor,  77,  80,  82 
Mechanism,    enclosed,     261 
Mechanism   of   a   tractor,   37 
Merry    Garden    tractor,    140,    143 
Minneapolis    Steel    and    Machinery 

Co.,    198 
Monarch    floating    governor,    92 
Mowers,    hitches    for,    208 
Muffler,    the,    46 
Multicylinder   engine,   44 
Multiple   disk   clutch,    102 

Nature  and  man,    139 


INDEX 


277 


Non-drive  axle,   22 

Non-drive   wheels,   8 

Normal  draw  bar  horse  power,  plows 

for,    209 
Normal  draw  bar  pull  in  pounds,  6. 

7 
Oil   cooling,    52,    225 
Oiling,  see  Lubrication 
Oil-pull  tractors,   183,  184 
Oil    pumps,    50 
Oils,    Henry    Ford,    227 

lean   mixture,   65 
Oldham  joint,  244 
One    plow    tractors,    8 
Overheating  of  engine,  237 
Oxyacetylene    welding,    252 

Pads    for    drive    wheels,    2S 
Parts    of   a   tractor,    16,   37 

price    list   of,    251 

repairing,    249,    252 

replacing  broken,  251 

welding,   252  ^  ,   . 

Percentage     of    weight    on    driving 

members,  10 
Pedigreed    tractors,    257 
Pierce   flyball    governor,   91 
Piston    of    the    engine,    37 

leaking,    235 

rings,    37.    235,    239 

slap,    23s 
Pivoted    draw   bar,    21 
Pivoted  fork  assembly,  123 
Plain    bearings,     30 
Planetary     gear     transmission,     108, 

1 10 
Platform    springs,    24 
Plowing  farms  of  all  sizes,  5 

capacity    of    tractors,     5 

speed   of  tractors,   4 
Plows,    hitches    for,    206 
Plows  recommended,   209 
Plunger  oil   pump,   50 
Post   tractor,    21,    22 
Power  plant  of  a  tractor,  29 
Power    stroke,    43 
Power  take  off,  94 

rating   of,    4 
Power,    loss    of,    242 

unit   of,   3 
Position  of  engine  in  tractor,  265 
Positive  feed  lubricating  system,  49 
Prest-0-Lile   Co.,   253 
Price   list   of  parts,   251 
Price   of   tractors,    14,   258 

of  tractor  economy,  231 
Proportioning  the   fuel  mixture,  233 
Pull  in  pounds,  normal  draw  bar,  6 
Pulley    brake,    95 
Pulley    clutch,    05 
Pulleys   and  belts,   214-216 
Pump  circulating  systems,  55,  57 
Pump    impeller,    58 
Pumps,  oil,  see  Oil  Pumps 


Radiators,    54,    265 

cooling    fan    of,    58 
Range   of   tractor    speed,    11 
Rating,  of  draw  bar  pull,  4 

of  power  take   off,   4 
Ratio   of   turning  valves,   44 
Ratio    of    transmission    gears,    11 
Regrinding   old    cylinders,    253 
Remy     electric     governor,     92 
Remy    inductor    magneto,    79 
Repairing  of  broken  parts,  248-250, 

252 
Replacing   broken    parts,    251 

water   impeller,   238 

weak   valve    spring,    246 
Rigid    draw    bar,    21 
Rigid    suspension,    21 
Ring   Gear,   differential,    115 
Riveting    by     power,     17 
Rotors   of   magnetos,    77 
Rolling    friction,    30 
Roller    bearings,    30,    261 
Running    the    tractor,    218 

Self  guides   on   tractors,    132 
Shims    for    bearings,    247 
for    connecting    rods,    233 
laminated,    233 
Shafts,     counter     and    intermediate, 

113 
Silphon    regulator,    57 
Silo    oil    ensilage    cutter,    213 
Single    disk    clutches,     100 
Single  wheel,   pivoted    fork   control, 

127 
Sleeves,    cylinder,    30 
Sliding    friction,    30 
Sliding   gear   transmission,    108,    109 
Small   farms,   tractors   for,    153 
Society    of    Automotive    Engineers, 

4,    95,    17s,    210,    270 
Soldering  a  gasoline  tank,   250 
Spark    coil,    battery    system,    72 
Spark   control,    how   to   adjust,    232, 

237 
Spark    plug,    73 
cleaning    of,    227 


gapping    of,    227 
icific 


Specific   gravity   of  gasoline,   225 
Speed,    belt,    95,    215,    217 

pulley,    215 

tractor,    4,     i i 

indicator,    215 
Spider    differential,    117 
Splash    lubricating    system,    47,    265 
Springs,    suspension,    20,    23 

mounting     of,     24 

replacing    valve,     246 
Spur-gear    transmission,    no 
Standard    draw    bar    rating,    4 
Starter,  electric,  88 

gas  and  air,  90 
Stearns  tractor  engine,  96 
Steel,  varieties  of,   260,   261 


278 


INDEX 


Steering  control,    122,    125 

double    wheel,    126,    127 

single   wheel,    127 

of  wheel  tractors,   122 
Steering   gear,    122,    124,   267 

line,     129 

varieties    of,    127 
Storage    battery,    70 

care  of,  227 
Stub   axle,    23 
Suction    stroke,    42 
Suspension,    defined,    17 

experiments,    17 

front,    20 

springs,    23 

swivel,    21 

three   point,    17 

wheels,    25 
Swivel  suspension,  21 
Swivelled  axle  assembly,  123 
Swivelled    draw    bar,    21 
Symptoms    of    engine    troubles,    232 

Table    of   belt    tractors,    7 

Table  of  draw  bar  H.P.  of  .tractors,  7 

Table   of   draw    bar   pull   at   various 

rates  of  speed,   271 
Table   of   normal    draw   bar   pull    in 

pounds,    7 
Taking  up  the  bearings,  233 
Tests,   draw  bar,   4 
T    head    engines,    264 
Thermit    Co.    of   America,    253 
Thermit   welding,    252 
Thermo-syphon    system,     55 
Thompson  Electric  Welding  Co.,  253 
Thresher,    grain,    211 
Three  plow  tractors,    171,    177 
Three   point   suspensions,    17 
Throttle    of    carburetor,    64 
Tide    Water   Oil    Co.,   221 
Timing,  battery  system,   72 

gears,   38 

magneto,   242 

valves,   44,   239,   241 
Tools,   garden   tractor,    145 

for    repairing,    249 
Torque,     crankshaft,     46 
Townsend   Tractor  Co.,  E.F.,   158 
Traction    defined,    i 
Traction    members,   2,    24 

crawler,     27 

drum,    27 

size   of,    8 
Tracklayer  traction  members,  27 
Tracklayer  tractors.    189-191 
Track-shoes  on  drive  wheels,  26 
Tractioneer,    hiring   a,    219 
Tractometer    Company,    4 
Tractor,    Andrews,    12-25,    J  73 

Aultman-Taylor,    184 

Austin,    15-30,    171 

Auto-tiller,     150 

Avery,    186 


Bates    Steel   Mule,    187 

Beeman  garden,  143 

belt    horsepower    of,    3,    96,    269, 


belt  speed  of,  95 

care   of,   218,   228 

Case,    iqi 

Caterpillar,    195 

choice    of,     153,     164,     182,    204, 

259 
clearance   of,    8 
Cultitractor  2F-I5,  no 
draft  of,   166 
draw  bar   H.P.   of,   4, 
draw  bar   pull   of,   210 
E.B..   194 
economy,  231 
E.F.T.  6-12  Crawler,   158 
engine,  96 

five  prime   factors  of,  259 
Fordson  12-22,    169 
for  plowing,  5 
frame  of,    17 
garden,    140 
gears    of,    31,    32 
general    purpose,    6-12,    156 
horse  power  of,  269,  270 
Indiana  5-10,    1 53 
instruction    book,    253 
International,   197 
lighting,    96 
line  of  travel,  26 
Little   Bear  4-^,    162 
mechanism  of,  16,  37,  2(>^ 
Merry     Garden    Auto    Cultivator, 

140 
oiling    the,    220 
oil-pull  of,   183 
one  plow,    1^3 
operation    of,    218 
power  plant  of,  29 
power    take    off   of,   94 
price  of,    14,   258 
pulleys  and  belts  of,  214 
rating  of,  3 
repairs,    232,    246,    248 
self    guides    for,    132 
size    of,    7,    259 
speed,   3,   4 
starters  86,  87 
steam,  2 

steering  of,    122,    133 
three    plow,    171,    177 
tracklayer,    189 
Twin   City,    198 
two    plow,    165,    177 
types  of,  2,  36,  139,  177.  204.  250 
Universal    1-4.9,    148 
walking,   139 
weight  of,  4 
wheelbase  of,  9 
wheels,   25 

wheel  vs.  crawler,  262 
Yuba   ball   tread,   200 
Traction    members,   2,   8,   24,   2j 


INDEX 


279 


Transmission  brake,  136 

change    gear,    108 

clutches,    99 

friction  wheel,   107 

gears,    11,    107,    108,    no 

gearset,    108 

shafts,   113 
Transmission  system,  98,  267 

lubrication    of,    221 
Truck    tractors,    136 
Turning  radius,    12 
Tubular    radiator,    54 
Twin   City  tractor,   17,   32,   33,   199, 

200 
Two  plow  tractors,  165,  177 
Types    of    tractors,    36 


Unit  horse  power,  3 
United    Tractors    Co.,    160 
Universal   1-4.9  Tractor,    148,    150 
Universal   joint,    125 


Vacuum  fuel  feed  system,  60 
Vacuum  Oil  Co.,  221 
Valves,  automatic  air,  64 

carburetor,    64 

engine,  38 

grinding    of,    244 

replacing    springs    of,    246 

timing   of,   44,   239 


Valve-in-the-head     engine,     264 
Vaporizer    for    carburetor,    65 
Vaporizing  fuel   mixture,   66 
Venturi  tube,  61 


Walking    tractor,     139 

Water    air    cleaners,    68 

Water   cooling,    52,   224,    225,   265 

Water   impeller,   238 

Water    injection,    266 

Water   leaks,    246 

Wagons,    hitches    for,    207 

Weight  on   driving  members,   10 

Weight    of    tractors,    4 

Welding   broken    parts,    252 

Wheelbase    of     tractors,     9 

Wheel  vs.  crawler  tractors,   262 

Wheels,    tractor,    25,    26 

Wheel    traction    members,    24 

Wheels  of  a  Post  tractor,  21 

Wheel    tractors,    122,    262 

Willis    tractor    frame,    17 

Wilson  five-wheel  tractor,  25 

Wiring    diagram    of    electric    starter 

systems,    90 
World  Harvester  Corporation,   151 
Worm    drive,    120 
Worm    gear,    120 
Wrist  pm  of  the  engine,  37 
Yuba  ball   tread   tractors,   200-202 
^Yuba  Manufacturing   Company,   200 


FEB  10  '82 


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